Happy 2011!

Dearest Friends of The Tearoom,

(Fauchon offers you its most precious smile for 2011.)

This came in my e-mail a few days ago from the lovely people at Fauchon. I love this image and although you may have already seen it, I am happy to share it with you...

And don't we all wish we were in Paris this New Year's Eve so we could all go have one of these objects of swooning? This is their "Eclair Paris", filled with dark chocolate cream, covered in dark chocolate icing and then topped with a gold-leaf decoration reminding us that it comes from the one city in the world that could elevate pastry to this highest level of art!
(image from Papilles & Pupilles)

And here is the catering menu, complete with luscious photos, if you would like to see what else can be found at Fauchon for A Beautiful Parisian New Year's Soirée!

My final treat of the night, and of the year, is a fun video I found showing New Year's Eve in Paris!



Bonne Année to all the Dear Friends of The Tearoom!
May we all have beautiful, productive, creative New Years full of love, health and happiness.

Hugs to you all,

Betty

5 Degrees of Inspiration House Party

Welcome Friends and Friends-I-Do-Not-Yet-Know,
Happy Blog Party to you! As a member of the Inspiration Avenue Team, I welcome you!

What inspires me? Anyone who knows me or reads my blog probably has a pretty good idea of a lot of the topics that inspire me, as my artwork or blog give life to most of them. Here are some images of inspiration for me. I hope they do the same for you.

Welcome to the House of My Imagination. All the rooms are decorated with extra glitter and sparkly bits in anticipation of your visit . . .

. . . and so we begin in Room One,
the Dining Hall,
so that you might sample food that inspires me. . .

. . .by taste. . .
(These pastries from Ladurée make me dream! Your first experience with the scentflavors of rose and lily-of-the-valley are something you will never forget!)

. . . by sight . . .
(Madame Joconde Eclairs from Fauchon)
Read my previous post about them here.
What is this lovely-looking item? You might think it was a dessert, but you would not be correct! It is Saint-Honoré Printanier de Légumes from Dalloyau, a tart made of tiny spring vegetables, fresh cheese and fresh flower petals!

. . .by anticipation . . .
I will definitely want to try this Wasabi Macaron the next time I visit the House of Pierre Hermé!

. . . by scent . . .
With which tea may I tempt you? Kusmi's Bourbon Vanilla, redolent of the exotic and beautiful vanilla pod, Caramel, warm and sweet, Spicy Chocolate with warm spicy notes or beautifully floral Violet?


. . . now, on to Room Two,
the Gallery,
so that you might see images that inspire me . . .

(An Ad for the coffee company Lavazza, a large sign with this ad on it was one of the first things I saw when we arrived in Paris at 7 am after not having slept all night!)

(An Ad from Fauchon)

(An Image from the Italian artist Nicoletta Ceccoli)

(An Image from the collection of Les Museés de Strasbourg)


. . . next,
on to Room Three,
the Library,
so that I might share with you
words that inspire me . . .

The Fig Eater, by Jodi Shields
This is a beautiful, dark, hypnotic book, meant to be savored over and over again. To read this book is to live in turn-of-the-century Vienna.

Paris Out of Hand by Karen Elizabeth Gordon, Barbara Hodgson and Nick Bantock (author of the Griffin and Sabine series)
This gorgeous book is a tour guide of Paris, but not Paris as it actually exists. It is a surreal, dadaist tour of the Paris of the Mind. This lovely little jewel box of a book will make you dream of visiting The City of Lights.

. . before we leave the library, I hope you find inspiration in some quotes by my favorite poets and writers . . .

"Poetry is . . . the human soul entire, squeezed like a lemon or a lime, drop by drop, into atomic words" - Langston Hughes

"Very much so. Hopelessly. I just love that time so much. It’s unfragmented and velvety. My mind is very free at night.” - Karen Elizabeth Gordon, when asked if she was a night person.

"And the day came when the risk (it took) to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage" - Anais Nin

(For further inspiration, please consider reading anything by Colette or Edward Gorey)


. . .and in Room Four,
The Listening Room . . .
. . . I hope you find yourself inspired by the music that currently inspires me . . .

a strange, joyful mix of the following:

almost anything from Joy Division (always "Love Will Tear Us Apart".
Consider this a shout-out. He knows who he is.)

"Sketch for Summer" by Durrutti Column

"Sunshine and Love" by The Happy Mondays

"Six Bells Chime" by Crime and the City Solution

"Fistfull of Tears" by Maxwell

"Song to the Siren" by This Mortal Coil (this came to me as inspiration from V by way of something posted by J.
You inspire me always. I love you so much.)


. . .Finally. . .
in Room Five. . .
the Observatory. . .
Please gaze with me at the Number One Place that has inspired me:
. . .being watched over by our Dear Friend,
Mademoiselle Moon!

Goodbye Dear Friends and New Friends!
Please have fun visiting the other parties being hosted by the other participants of The Inspiration Avenue Blog Party!
May you be inspired!

Betty

Mona Lisa Watches You

Dear Friends,
I had meant to save this wonderful image for my list of what inspires me for the Blog Party, but I cannot resist giving you this early peek, especially in light of the fact that I have discovered that Wallpaper magazine has given the Madame Joconde (Mona Lisa) Éclair the award for "Best Teatime Treat"! It comes to us from Fauchon, the Paris purveyor of luxury edibles. Fauchon was the first to export kiwi fruit and avocados into France and to bring out-of-season fruits like strawberries and cherries to market all year round. They are equally well-known in the world of gastronomy for their selection of sweet and savory éclairs! And this éclair is not just amazing to look at, it is filled with chocolate/almond cream and topped with chocolate and is on my list of "must-try treats" the next time we go to Paris!

Please read more about this lovely treat and the award it won here (and please be patient, as this site loads very slowly).