July 2015 / Shell Sherree

Fashionable Friday : Agent Violet in Vintage Paris Purple

24.7.15

Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Vintage Paris Purple © Shell-Sherree

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Agent Violet in Vintage Paris Purple © Shell-Sherree}

As Agent Violet has discovered, trench coats have their uses but you can stow all manner of useful gizmos in the voluminous sleeves of a vintage coat like this one.

The spotted cuffs and matching pillbox in today's illustration might seem too eye-catching ~ but don't be fooled. Violet is well versed in the art of distraction so no doubt they serve a purpose for which we can only hazard a naive guess. After all, in Paris, one never knows when one might need to secure a surreptitious stash of brandy-laced macarons that can weaken an adversary's defences after dark.

Shall we tail her and see where she leads us ? Let's not dilly dally, though, as she knows how to slip into a chocolatier and vanish without a trace. On y va. And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

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Fashion and Fluffballs : Have Ball-Pup, Will Play

21.7.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Have Ball-Pup, Will Play © Shell-Sherree}

In my teens, I had a tennis phase. In hindsight, I suspect it was more about the look than the game. Bless my mother and sister ~ we spent more time getting the giggles and chasing balls than returning serves, and usually at night under lights so we could avoid the sun. But they valiantly rallied to indulge my sweatbanded addiction, secretly expecting it would only last a few weeks and turning out to be pretty much right. {I've since learned that pastries are the easiest way to manage my 'serial obsessive' phases. Salted caramel scrolls are the current pastry du jour. Their days are numbered.}

Anyhoo, something like today's fashion and fluffballs illustration would give me incentive to hit the court again ~ though I fear I'd tucker out just one Pomeranian ball-pup, so I shall arrange a team of pooches and a Pawty Pavilion for their recovery sessions.

There's plenty of room in this tennis bag for a spare racquet and puppy treats. Maybe even some miniature salted caramel scrolls. For the rest of this month, at least. Care to join me in rallying for 'tennis pinks' to be the norm ? So much more universally flattering for the complexion. And on that note ...

Happy Fashion and Fluffballs day to you !

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Fashionable Friday : Wandering Not Lost in Paris

17.7.15

{Fashion and fluffballs illustration : Wandering Not Lost in Paris © Shell-Sherree}

Not all those who wander are lost.

JRR Tolkien composed this line in the first book of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, but methinks he was dreaming of Paris at the time.

Funnily enough, this quote is commonly attributed to William Shakespeare but it seems Tolkien caused much confusion by prefacing his sentence with ''All that is gold does not glitter," which bears a striking resemblance to a line of Shakespeare. Perhaps there's some kind of poetic justice afoot by giving credit to Shakespeare for something Tolkien wrote. Had Shakespeare been alive to see how closely Tolkien brushed against his own oft-quoted gem from The Merchant of Venice, it might have given him the fair Willies.

Anyhoo, today's illustration sees us wearing something that could be just as home in both pieces of literature, and certainly while taking a stroll in the city of light. We shall seek out some caramel au fleur de sel macarons as our own form of golden currency and more four-legged fluffy companions to enchant us and tell us how fetching we are. And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

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Happy Bastille Day : An Australian Frenchie in Paris

14.7.15

{Paris illustration : An Australian Frenchie in Paris © Shell-Sherree}

Happy Quatorze Juillet ! There's nothing like having one's illustration photobombed by a cheeky French Bulldog after labouring at the drawing board especially for Bastille Day. Sacre bleu and pass a profiterole !

I haven't the heart to chastise, as I think this poppet was merely endeavouring to snuffle closer to the macaron crumbs on my chin. And possibly some remnants of a tarte framboise. {What can I say ? It was a long day ... And between you and me, I've had far less appealing offers ...}

As capris and Bretons are more universally flattering than a sea of ruffles, let us opt for our Frenchie friend's classic Parisian wardrobe choice for our pâtisserie crawl. I've issued a decree Chez Shell that anything made with butter has zero calories for the next 24 hours. Let us make haste. And on that note ...

Happy Bastille Day to you !

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Fashionable Friday : Ruffled by a Sea of Ruffles

10.7.15

Fashion and Fluffballs illustration : Ruffled by a Sea of Ruffles © Shell-Sherree

Wearing ruffles can be so exhausting.

And locating wardrobe space sufficiently expansive to house them ? Where's my snifter of brandy !

We could be here a while assessing load-bearing walls. Then there's the perplexing choice of wall colour. Duck Egg Blue is always de rigueur but I hear Peacock Egg Blue is fluffing up a storm this season ~ not to mention sparking parental equality debates. Let's pull up a tufted ottoman with our little Frenchie friend before the smelling salts are required. And on that note ...

Happy Fashionable Friday to you !

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Fanciful Friday {Or Is It?} : The Real Amelia Story

4.7.15

Not quite this day in 1937 {let's pretend it's 2nd July ~ missed by 'that much'}, Amelia Earhart vanished. The first aviatrix to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean was also instrumental in the formation of The Ninety- Nines ~ a organisation for female pilots ~ who are most likely politically-correctified to aviators nowadays, but to heck with it. Just like our heroine and her companions, the word aviatrix is far too enchanting to ditch into the sea.

There are many theories as to what happened when Amelia disappeared. Today's illustration gives you an inkling as to mine ~ and regardless of what scientific analysis might seem to validate in the course of time, I'll be paying no heed.

In honour of a feisty and determined woman and her fluffy companions who have hitherto flown under the radar, let's raise our goggles and drink champagne cocktails in their honour. {Hold the maraschino cherries.} And on that note ...

Happy Fanciful Friday to you !

FLY OVER TO MY PETITE BOUTIQUE HERE

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