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

Spring, As Definined By Laduree

Spring in Paris is beautiful, made even more so by some of the patisserie houses' spring collections of pastries. In particular, Laduree's two spring and summer flavors are definitely some of the most wonderful things about the warm-weather seasons!

Some excerpts from their press release:


"A Romantic Spring at Ladurée:
Ladurée is celebrating spring with a Château de Versailles theme. A romantic decoration made up of interlaced designs, medallions and flower bouquets with antiquated colours houses the new box of macaroons with various spring flavours and a definite boudoir feel."


"Ladurée is particularly fond of the month of May and pays homage to it each year by creating a limited edition of its famous, irresistibly-flavoured Lilly-of-the-valley macaroons.

. . .Fleeting and traditional at Ladurée, on the occasion of the first of May, this macaroon is filled with a light and creamy white cream,flavoured with a touch of Lilly-of-the-Valley.
- A Creation by Philippe Andrieu -"



"It is with the sun and summer in mind that Pastry Chef Philippe Andrieu devised the new Ladurée macaroon. Its radiant sun-yellow shell encloses an unctuous, Bergamot flavoured cream which is both sweet and bitter. Tangy and sun-drenched, this new flavour macaroon will make the perfect summer treat this year."


The lily-of-the-valley macaron was one of our very favorite flavors, one I describe as a "scentflavor", as they taste just like they smell. Indescribably delicious and unusual.

We so wish we were there to get to try the bergamot flavor! One our favorite teas is Earl Grey and it is the oil of bergamot that is used to give the tea its beautiful perfume-like scent and flavor.

Tea Lust

Anyone who has been to Paris knows that standing in line is just part of being there.  But for me, standing in line for food is not the torture one might think!  In fact, I realized that I like a bit of a line when having to decide what to order (and how to say it in French!).  One day, Mr. V and I stood in line at the Pierre Hermé on Rue Bonaparte, waiting to buy some of his divine pastries and some gifts to bring home.  This tea was one treat that we brought back for ourselves!  It is one of Monsieur Hermé's signature teas and he calls it Jardin de Pierre (Pierre's Garden).  It is a black tea infused with the essences of citrus, jasmine, rose and violet!  We first drank it as an iced tea for our first anniversary tea.  It is deliciously surreal to drink (or eat) something tasting of the scentflavors of flowers (Yes, I know that scentflavor is not actually a word, but just eat or drink something like this and you will understand!).  But as I warned one of my friends later, do not add too much sugar or it is like drinking a liquid gardenia!  However, the small notes of citrus in the tea do go nicely with a very thin slice of lemon or lime.

On that rainy afternoon of our first anniversary, this was the menu of our tea:

tea sandwiches on thin slices of baguette-

cucumber with dill butter

egg salad with dill and mustard

smoked salmon with wasabi mayonnaise

proscuitto with cream cheese

mixed fresh fruit served in margarita glasses

homemade mini strawberry tarts

iced Jardin de Pierre tea with sugar and slices of lemon and lime

the final bottle of Dolce Stilnovo Rosso 2005 saved from our wedding