Ah, the decorating domino effect. We really have been careful about what we bring into this new apartment as we already have too much of muchness, especially as far as art is concerned. But when I found this Gobelins tapestry for, I’ll admit it, 15 Euros (since several of you have asked), I couldn’t resist. As it is gigantic, there was only one place for it that really worked, above the fireplace in the bedroom. We still haven’t had the moment to gallery hang it but are thrilled with the peace that it brings. Similarly, I am loving the soft light emanating from the mercury mirror that has now by default been shifted to the living room. Win, win.
Speaking of winning, I was recently given two awards for Lost in Arles. Hooray! The incredible Karin, a veritable one-woman walking Wiki of good taste, was kind enough to give me the Blog on Fire Award in January. Do you know her blog, La Pouyette? To give you an idea, she recently constructed an imaginary dinner party for 12. Her invitées included Frederick the Great, Karl Lagerfeld and Oscar Wilde. Impeccable. Merci, Karin!
As part of accepting this award, I need to tell you five things about myself that you may not know:
1) When I am as homesick for the States as I am right now, I admit that given the opportunity to have either an authentic Sunday Brunch or a menu degustation at a Michelin-starred restaurant, I would, without hesitation, chose the brunch. Tragically, I would probably also pick peanut butter over foie gras.
2) I have a built-in radar that can hear a champagne cork popping within a five-mile radius.
3) I once sang “Summertime” for a tribe on Tanna Island in Vanuatu in the Pacific to thank them for performing a dance for me.
4) Secret talent: Killer yoga toes.
5) To my shame? I have the worst memory for faces of anyone I know. Not such a big deal while living in Manhattan when the chances of running into someone you know are slim but in a small town like Arles? Very, very embarrassing.
Natalie Rapoport lives in Toronto but is a world-traveller who loves to share those special moments, les petites bijoux, that we come across as we go. Hence her charming blog, Jewel yet to find. I love her patient eye and her attention to detail so was very excited when she decided to send me the Liebster Blog Award. Wow! Thank you so much, Natalie.
Something wonderful that both of these awards have in common is that they are in recognition of blogs with under 200 followers. So I am happy to pass on the baton to five of my favorite small blogs and am awarding them BOTH the Blog on Fire Award and the Liebster Blog Award.
*For the winners, please see the “rules” at the bottom of this already crazy long post.
1) I dream of. With such a title, I knew that I would be hooked but Jeanne’s blog has instantly become one of my favorites. Why? She has so much heart, as corny as that sounds, not to mention oodles of talent. I am predicting here that she will become a darling of the design blog world.
2) Looking Glass. Clare is a classic beauty, a model and an actress but that is where the classicism stops. She always has surprises up her sleeve, including a very frank series where she interviewed burlesque performers. Have to love that Aussie mix.
3) Shifting Gears. Judith Ross is an accomplished writer whose intelligence and authenticity never cease to inspire me. This blog is dedicated towards “navigating middle age and beyond” and she does so with a light hand.
4) oh-fancy that. Four really funny and fabulous ladies that have an amazing take on DIY, fashion, food (a favorite post is the recipe for pecan, bourbon and butterscotch bread pudding). Just read their “About Us” and try and not be addicted. For sure they will be wondering “An award from who?” but I love your blog!
5) Concrete Jungle. Heather doesn’t post all the time but I never know from what part of the world she will when she does. Girl gets around. An interior designer based mainly out of Thailand, she puts her trained eye to good use, no detail is too small. To boot, she has formed a great charity to help out at home.
There are few other blogs that were awarded at the same time I was otherwise, they would be on this list and are well worth the gander:
and Helen Tilston Painter, who, I am assuming has already been given both of these awards…
Additionally, I would like to give Ben, my Golden Retriever, the Siberian Survivor Award for handling the European cold snap with panache. True, he slightly resembles Ben in a Burqa but a dog has to do what a dog has to do to stay warm.
The Rules for the Winners
To keep these awards going (and I realize the slightly chain-mailedness of that phrase), please recognize blogs with under 200 followers and…
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog
2. Choose five blogs to nominate and let them know by leaving a comment
3. Request that the chosen blogs pass the Award on to their favorite five
4. Copy and paste the award on your blog post
5. List five things about yourself……
2. Choose five blogs to nominate and let them know by leaving a comment
3. Request that the chosen blogs pass the Award on to their favorite five
4. Copy and paste the award on your blog post
5. List five things about yourself……
Number 5 is just for the Blog on Fire Award, so if you don’t want to divulge (it really isn’t that painful), there is always the Liebster Award…
Thanks to all of you that have stayed with me this far…et bon weekend!
Definitely!
I love all of these comments from some of my favorite ladies on the blogoshpere. But oh Karin! My heart goes out to you! My goodness, that is cooold. It is is chilly in our apartment too (feels like -12 with the wind) but not THAT cold. Your poor garden too. Hope Oskar is indeed well swaddled.
Bisous à tout le monde et bon dimanche!
Oh Heather, You made it! Congratulation!
Thank you so, so much for your compliment to me! I'm thrilled to be called a 'wiki' 🙂 😉 !!! It's just my curiosity to find out the why- and where-fors, and believe me, most of the time I get lost in history.
Love what you told us about yourself, love your blog and your posts and love Ben! Posing with the scarf – it could be Oskar!
Your piece of tapestry is very charming and 'une vraie trouvaille', well done!
Sorry for late comment, but we're really frozen-in with down to -16 outside during the nights and mornings, and cannot get up the temperature in the house more than +11 degrees! Brr…! My fingers are getting stiff after a few minutes typing and I'm dressed like an onion. And our pool is also completely frozen, not to talk about the southern plantation in our garden….
Waiting for milder weather during this week, hopefully, to read all your recent posts more proper, and other blogs as well, so much behind….
Again – merci beaucoup for your lovely words about me!
Stay warm, amicalement,
bis, karin
This is wonderful news David! There will be quite a few of us that will be looking forward to your musings.
I don't know the first 4 on your list ~ so shall happily check them out. And am already happily following concrete jungle – delightful adventures.
How beautiful the tapestry looks. I love it sitting just like that! Virginia x
Oh, Judith…..actually, I'm supposed to start a blog soon. The whole initial business/learning curve seems just too snakey for me, so I've simply hired Very Smart&Capable Kate of 3-Square Design (she "does" Dominique's blog) to get the thing up & going for me. Then, I suppose I'll just yatter away at the thing. If nothing else, though, it'll help friends and family (they're extensive) to keep up with where I am and what I'm doing. As things stand, I travel too much and am too busy (when I'm back in the USA) to maintain minimally-decent correspondence these days.
Amusingly enough?..about eight or so years ago, I was on the back porch of a longtime, very dear friend (with whom I've always corresponded regularly when I've lived elsewhere), at her old house in Charlottesville. Her very-smart daughter (who's known me since I was 24 and has read many of my letters to her famly since then) suggested to me (during the late hours of a markedly boozy, 100-degree Saturday afternoon on that back porch)"You know, I think you should just BLOG…?".
I (who had never heard the term "blogging") was, in fact and at that very moment, wondering if maybe I HAD had too many bourbon&waters. I thought she was suggesting that I throw up.
I told her what I'd thought she meant, and she told me what blogging was….adding "actually, they're sort of the same thing, you know…."
that said, we'll see about a blog. I already know what I'll call it; I just don't know what I'll put into it.
Level Best as Ever,
David Terry
http://www.davidterryart.com
congratulations on your awards dahhling, trust you had yourself a glass of champagne & delivered a thank you speech to your patient dog & Remi wearing something divine!
I love where the tapestry ended as well as the mercury glass mirror…so chic dahhling!
Ah David, thank you! When will you start your own blog?