The Carnival Soiree

Dear Friends,
Lisa Kettell will be holding her "Carnival Soiree" on her blog "Faerie Enchantment" on March 14th! I am very excited because I just discovered Lisa recently through her Etsy site. She does CDs of wonderful vintage images and a magazine called "Piddlestix". She has also written a book which has just been published called "Altered Art Circus"! And now, she will be holding her first blog event! Here is what she has planned for us!:

-Carnival Tea (obviously, I can't wait for this!)
-Games
-Tokens
-Giveaways consisting of her collage cd: Circus Follies and an altered poker chip kit.
-Free Circus images/ephemera
-Carnival party pictures
-Circus projects
-Stories

It will be so much fun!
I'll definitely be posting more on Lisa soon!

UPDATE:  I have also added Lisa's Carnival Soiree blog to my blog list!

Very Happy Day of Love and Valentines!

(Images: Lisa Kettell of Moonfaires, Majik Design and Asunder Ephemera)

Also, thank you so much to Soul Journal for allowing me to participate in my first-ever blog party!


Dearest Friends,
Wishing you a very most happy day! May you have a day surrounded by beautiful valentines, wrapped in yards of organza and silk ribbons, wreathed in roses and indulging in delicious chocolates, pastries and of course, your favorite cup of tea!  Don't forget that if you are alone today, please treat yourself.  YOU are your Best Valentine Friend!

This is my playlist for the morning:
La Vie en Rose- Louis Armstrong, I'm In the Mood for Love - Bryan Ferry (I love all the violins in this!), Si Tu N'Es Pas La and Guilty - from the Amelie soundtrack, Les Barricades Mysterious and K. 213 - from the Marie Antoinette soundtrack (oooh, harpsichords!), and for the rest of the day, all four disks of Lullabies to Violaine by the Cocteau Twins!

So, in honor of this special day, here is my fantasy French pastry indulgence for our Heureux Saint-Valentin!:

The Rose Religieuse from Ladurée:

This is composed of a small and a large cream puff, the small is filled with pastry cream scented with rose water and the large is filled with the same rose cream and a small layer of raspberry puree.  The whole thing is covered in royal icing, also scented with rose and joined with buttercream.  

The next is on my wish list for our next trip to Paris.  This is the Coeur Infiniment Vanille (Infinite Vanilla Heart):

This is one of Pierre Hermé's beautiful cakes, made in a heart shape for this special day. Every part of this cake is made with vanilla from three sources: Mexico, Madagascar and Tahiti.

And finally, heart-shaped pâtes de fruits from Hediard:
Mr. V and I fell in love with pâtes de fruits from Pierre Hermé (his variety called "Celeste" made of layers of passionfruit, strawberry and rhubarb), but these were so beautiful we would have to try them too! Pâtes de fruits are made by cooking down large amounts of fresh fruit until it is a thick jelly consistancy (much more concentrated than jam or jelly) and then cutting into squares (or in this case hearts). They are the most perfect essence of the fruit captured for enjoyment long after the fruit has left the trees, bushes and brambles.

Wishing you a beautiful day!

Betty

Soul Journal Valentine Blog Party!

I will be participating in the Soul Journal Valentine Blog Party! Please check back here on Saturday, February 14th for my special Valentines post!

Tea Lust - Part Deux

Happiest of Sunday Evenings to you,

I made the most happy discovery today!  Kusmi tea now has a U.S. website from which their teas can be ordered!  I have been dying to try their caramel tea ever since I tasted it at Thé Cool on the Rue de Médici in Paris.  I may have no choice but to order some for myself (and Mr. V) as a birthday treat!