New Blog Candy

Dearest Friends,
Inspired by watching The Duchess, starring Keira Knightly, I have a new-found fascination with Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire. I have long included the wonderful blog Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century in my list of must-read blogs and I am now very happy to include its sister site Georgiana's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century as well! If you have not already, indulge and immerse yourself in this delightful blog devoted to this fascinating woman. No other excuse is needed to include this excellent blog in my list, but I was intrigued by these connections:

-She and Marie Antoinette were great friends and the Duchess remained her friend for the rest of her life.

-The Duchess had a very famous affair with Charles Grey, also known as the 2nd Earl Grey. It was after him that one of our favorite teas, Earl Grey, was named!

Soon, I will have more new blog candy coming up to entice you...

Newest Collage

Here is a new collage I just made using images from collage sheets I bought from a wonderful Etsy artist! Her name is Itkupilli and she does such beautiful things!! I've had some of the sheets for a while, but they are all so wonderful that I didn't know where to start using them in collages! Please check out her blog here and her Etsy site here! And if you are in need of a blog face-lift, her sites are definitely the place to go as she does really beautiful blog templates too! Thank you Itkupilli for your gorgeous inspirational images!

And keep checking back as I hope to have another new post tonight with more news from the Houses of French Patisserie!

Marie

I am very happy to announce that Stampington's special edition Marie is currently on sale!

As I mentioned in my post of January 18, my collage entitled "In the Secret Dessert Garden-Thirty-ninth in an Imaginary Series from the Untold Secrets of Marie Antoinette" was selected for publication! When they contacted me to tell me that my work had been accepted, they asked me to write something about my inspiration for the piece. This is what I sent them:

Initially, I was inspired to create this collage after having seen the Sofia Coppola movie “Marie Antoinette” and read the book by Antonia Fraser on which the movie was based. In addition, I was fortunate enough to see the Marie Antoinette exhibit at the Grand Palais in Paris in April 2008. But I was also inspired by visits to Ladurée and Pierre Hermé, two of the most famous patisseries in Paris and the sweetest tea salon across from the Luxembourg Gardens called Thé Cool. In these places, I found desserts almost too beautiful to eat and teas beyond what I could have ever imagined. In addition, I began to think about what we knew of the life of the last queen of France. I also began to ponder what we may not have known and my imagination began to run wild! We know that she loved her gardens and she loved her desserts. What if she had commissioned the royal horticulturist to develop a hybrid of flower whose fruit were desserts? Therefore, I named my collage, “In the Dessert Garden, Thirty-Ninth in an Imaginary Series from The Untold Secrets of Marie Antoinette.”

Here are some pictures:








I want to thank my husband Victor for his constant encouragement and for insisting that we visit the show at the Grand Palais and to Stampington for publishing my work!

Gratefully,

Betty

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

The Last Queen of France Lives On...

Thank you to Lauren of Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century
for the use of the image.

One of my favorite books last year was "The Scented Palace" by Elisabeth de Feydeau about the history of Marie Antoinette's perfumer, Jean-Louis Fargeon.  He created a special perfume for her based on tuberose, which became one of her favorite scents.  I was also very interested to learn that a French perfumery called Le Labo had also created a scent based on tuberose specifically for Kirsten Dunst when she portrayed Marie Antoinette.  Click here for a beautifully written review of Tubereuse 40 from the Scented Salamander and here to explore the other scents created by Le Labo.

And in another portrayal of the famous queen a bit closer to home, I have created a collage, called "In the Dessert Garden (Thirty-Ninth in an Imaginary Series from The Untold Secrets of Marie Antoinette)."  It will be published in April in a special edition inspired by Marie Antoinette.  I have just discovered that you can order advance copies (postage paid) by clicking here.  The special pre-order offer expires on February 25, 2009.  Stampington describes the publication this way:  

"Marie Antoinette is a historical icon whose decadent and beautiful way of life has inspired generations of artists.  The dresses...the crowns...the cakes...and more...are all what cause us to marvel at how one woman could lead the charge to live in the moment and with great attention to detail.  Driven by their fascination with Marie Antoinette, both through historical accounts and glamorized Hollywood perceptions two different artistic cohorts embarked on extraordinary collaborative book projects that were recently submitted to Stampington & Company.  Too large of a collaborative effort for just one article and far too beautiful to keep to ourselves, these stunning projects will be highlighted in a brand new special publication, entitled Marie."

I am grateful that my collage was accepted into this project and I will post pictures of the collage when it is published in April!