Midnight Carnival

Dearest Friends,
Welcome Once Again to The Tearoom!

Oh, I have waited so long for this!
I have counted my pennies.
I have counted the days on the calendar!

And now it is here!

I am so very happy to see you again, my dearest friends!
I have been away too long.

Do you still have the ticket I gave you earlier?
Here are the rest!

Welcome to The Midnight Carnival at The Gossamer Tearoom!
I am so very happy to be part of the festivities at Mademoiselle Vanessa's Halloween Party at A Fanciful Twist! Don't forget to visit her and the other attendees!

What is your favorite thing to do at a carnival?
Wouldn't it be fun to begin by having our fortunes told?

Please step right this way!

This is Madame Circe, teller of fortunes, revealer of futures...

This is the card she has drawn for you...

(Sometimes Madame Circe surprises us by telling us not just what we need to know for later, but what we need to know right now.)

So many fun things to do and see!

Don't miss the Tightrope Walker
Mademoiselle Bon-Bon Oiseau!
(And, no, I don't think it's cheating to be a tightrope walker if you have wings! It just makes it a bit easier!!)

Please follow Mademoiselle Blanchette de Noire, Mistress of the Menagerie...

These animals are a bit unusual. But do not let their appearance frighten you...

(I promise they do not bite!)

Wouldn't you love a ride on the Cherry Velvet Ferris Wheel?

Or on the Magical Flying Cars?

I'm sure you are ready for a treat.
Please walk this way...

This is Mademoiselle Absynthia...

...She is so happy to see you and would like to offer you a delicious treat!



Our extra-fun carnival would not be possible today without the inspiration and images by some of the most talented people I have ever known. I am so grateful for all of the lovely people I have met here and with great pleasure, I would like you to meet some of them:
-Marsha of Tumblefish
(Thank you so much for all of the fresh inspiration! I hope you like what I have done!)
-Jerry of Shadowhouse Design
(Thank you for the great backgrounds!)
-Kathy of KF Collection
(Yes, I will be letting you know when we are in town next! Thank you!)
And hugs to my dear friends Marie-France, Julia and Kirsi:
-Marie-France of Marie's Freebies and
nigéArt
-Julia of Cemerony and Cemerony Share
-Kirsi of Itkupilli
And thank you so much to those I don't know as well, but appreciate so much all the same:
-Cristina of Asunder Ephemera
-Alison of Harmonica Goldfish
-Karen of Graphics Fairy
-Sabrina of Sabrina Zanetti

Our Dear Friend Mademoiselle Moon sees us home, dressed as an antique doll, such a sometimes spooky, sometimes silly friend she is to us!

And so we wish "Good-Night" to our new friends of the Carnival!

Happiest of Halloweens to all Friends of The Tearoom!

Betty

Are You Curious?

Dearest Friends of The Tearoom!
Are you wondering what I have planned for the blog party at A Fanciful Twist?

I can't tell you that yet...

But, I can tell you that you will need tickets to attend...


I hope to see you (and your ticket) here at The Tearoom on October 16th!

(Background by Jerry of Shadowhouse Creations and components of the card thanks to Marsha of Tumble Fish Studio - tumblefishstudio.etsy.com.)

Because of My Mommy...

Dearest Friends of The Tearoom,
Your patience with my infrequent visits here means the world to me. For those who don't remember the reason for my absence, please click her picture on the sidebar to the right and read the post I made in May.

It has been a very hard part of my and Mr. V's life, but we have found some measure of relief now. As of a week ago, my mother now lives in a home for people with severe dementia and they now have her very involved in all the fun activities they have for them and she sometimes forgets to miss us now. As sad as it is, it is better for her and ultimately, for us.

Above is a picture of My Mommy in a time before I was a part of her life. At the time this picture was taken, she lived in a tiny apartment she loved in Portland, Maine and still held a dream of being a country western singer in her heart. Her life took her away from that life and that dream, but she still kept enough of it to share with me, in the form of memories and inspiration.

You see, when I was a little girl, My Mommy was a Magician!!!! Oh the things she could do! She taught me to sing the songs she loved the best so that I could go on and sing all the songs I love the best now. I watched as she took all of those big red plastic containers on the kitchen cupboard and added some to some eggs and other things and made cookies!! She also showed me how you could put some sort of a stick with fur on the end into a glass of water, rubbed it over some hard things and made color to paint with!! She tried to teach me not to use the glass of lemonade instead of the glass of water to rinse my brush, but I got so caught up in making pictures that soon my lemonade would be a color it did not start out as and I wouldn't be allowed to finish it! (This is why, to this day, I cannot drink and paint at the same time!!). But the most magic thing My Mommy The Magician did was take away almost all of my crayons one day and show me how the blue, yellow and red were the only ones I really needed! How did she know such a thing?? And why didn't the people who made crayons know this?? The Gifts of Creativity and Curiosity were the some of the most important things she ever gave me.

Since we have been here, it has been very hard work to take care of her. And most days, I didn't have the energy left at the end of the day to do some of the things I wanted to do like visit you, my dear friends, here at The Tearoom.

But I know that My Mommy would not want me to stop doing magical things, so it is with love and honor in my heart that I announce my return to The World of Blogovia. My return may still be slow at first as I still go to My Mommy's new home and spend time with her, but I am so, so happy to tell you that I will be participating in The Magical Mademoiselle Vanessa's Halloween Party on October 16, in the Magical Land of A Fanciful Twist!


My Mommy gave me my love of Art and Music and those two things have brought the most joy to my life. Please don't forget to visit The Tearoom on October 16th, share a cup of tea and a bite of cake with me. I will be there to greet you and so will My Mommy in spirit.

An Update. . .

Dearest Friends,
I am so happy to be able to give you updated information on the little film Pastry/Paris that I posted below.

I have received an e-mail from Susan Hochbaum, thanking me for including her film in my post. But more importantly, she went on to say this:

"I'm thrilled to report that I've gotten a book contract! Pastry|Paris will be published next fall and will include many, many more photos. I could not be more excited..."

It is very exciting! I cannot wait to see the book! Congratulations, Susan! I will be bringing you more news on this book just soon as I learn more! I think it will be the perfect addition to The Library of The Tearoom!

In Paris, Everything Looks Like Dessert

My Dearest Friends,
It is so good to spend time with you again.

I have a couple of small treats for you...

First, my dear friend Marie-France in Paris sent to me (some time ago, malheureusement!) a link to a blog talking about Mr. V's and my favorite Paris tearoom, Thé Cool, including even more yummy photos! It is from the blog Play Like a Girl. Please go there and spend a quiet moment on the rue de Médicis, relaxing after your stroll through the Jardins de Luxembourgh. I can't help but notice that this blogger was enchanted by the same thing I was and took more than one picture of the bathroom sink, which is tiled in pink iridescent glass tiles. I took one look and wished I was small enough to take a swim! What a gorgeous swimming pool it would be! I came back from the the bathroom and told Mr. V, "You have to go to the bathroom!". "No, I don't!" he retorted. "Yes, you do! And don't forget to wash your hands!" He was thinking I had finally lost it completely for treating him like he was four, when I explained that the bathroom sink was not to be missed!!

Next, I have found a way that you may visit Paris yourself, if only for a minute and a half. On the blog Lola Is Beauty, I found a beautiful little film by Susan Hochbaum called "Pastry/Paris". Please take a moment and watch it. It really does capture something quintessential about the city and the French attitudes about the beauty that surrounds them everyday. It seems to me the perfect treat for visitors to our little salons at The Gossamer Tearoom! Oh, and don't forget to have your speakers or headphones on when you watch!

Chocolates? Yes, Please!

Dearest Friends,
I must admit that when faced with choices for desserts, I will almost always choose something that is not chocolate. It's not that I don't like chocolate, but a lot of the time, the non-chocolate desserts seem more interesting to me. But when I saw these chocolates, I couldn't help but be interested! They speak the language of simplicity on one level, yet on other levels they are nothing but rococco!

Fauchon in Paris has a new line of chocolates called "Choc Made in F". Decorated only with numbers for the solid chocolates and the letter "F" for the ones with fillings, the new line includes the essential flavors one expects to see in chocolates, but of course done in Fauchon style, described by them this way:

Solid
Numbered 0-9, these morsels offer the ten simple tastes most desired by chocolate lovers, truly universal tastes: vanilla, creamy, coffee, full bodied, fruity, caramel. . .

Filled
A complementary line of ten sweets
Ultra gourmet for more sophisticated characters, multiple buds and notes.
This real range of fruit flavors combines nuggets of voluptuous aromas of flowers and spices to better reveal the facets of chocolate, ganache, praline, dark or milk.

All the simplicity of a praline revisited through the prism of coconut and hazelnut from Piedmont or associated with the more unexpected zest of lemon. Fragile aromas and seductive violet curve along the raspberry in an intense black blanket...

This collection can be enjoyed with eyes closed, a furtive trip to the sensual emotions while immediately-recognizable perfumes envelope textures, leave room for other notes and end on a pure taste of chocolate.

Until you can sample them in real life, please tempt yourself here.

Rococo Chocolates in London just goes out of their way to make sure that everything they make is beautiful! I am just afraid that if I visited, I would not be able to lift my own shopping bag! How could you resist anything they have to offer?

The chocolates above are their floral creams, topped with candied violets and rose petals. According to Kevin Gould writing in Waitrose Food Illustrated, "Rococo's chocolates simply sing in the mouth." and the floral creams are just a small example of the beautiful things they have!

Please let me know if any of you have tried any of these! Since I won't be able to visit either Paris or London for a bit, I would love a review!

An Evening at The Tearoom. . .

My Very Dear Friends,

Won't you please join me on this sultry summer evening
for a treat?

I have made a fruit salad from yellow nectarines, white nectarines, white peaches, black velvet apricots, saturn peaches and plums, just for us!!

And won't you please join me in a glass of iced tea? My favorite tonight is another from Tazo called Om. It is a mix of black and green teas, haunted by essences of peach and cucumber. It is the perfect match with our salad.

For a night when you can bear only the lightest of meals...

As the velvet of night grows deeper, the fireflies are gathering on the lawn behind The Tearoom for their evening dance. . .

If you walk through the French doors, you will find that I have spread blankets on which you may sit. . .

I will leave you with a poem that I wrote several years ago, which I believe is in keeping with the mood of the evening. . .

the nectarine

on this warm and cloudy night,
at 11:37,
i want to give thanks for nectarines.
i was feeling somewhat gloomy
until i remembered him, small, happy thing he was,
waiting for me in the chill of the fridge.
in the dark, i padded into the kitchen in my favorite pair of bare feet.
as i removed him from the white plastic sack, the kitchen was filled with cool, white refridgerator light.
i held him in my hand.
he was cold but his skin was smooth
and
he glowed burnished yellow and dark orange.
he even blushed dark red on one side where the sun had kissed him.
he submitted himself to my bite.
and his juice, like stored sunshine
dribbled itself down my chin and my throat before i could catch it,
trickling all his sticky coolness,
making me happier than i’d been all day.
what a miracle that such a small thing could make me so happy!
so,
on this warm and cloudy night,
at 11:37,
thank you, little nectarine!

We Have Winners! Are You One?

Oh, My Dear Friends!
Thank you so much for your patience! It has been one of those days that has kept me away from The Tearoom for longer than I would have liked!

But, as promised, I have randomly drawn two winners of the give-aways from The Mad Tea Party!

First, the winner of "My Life in France" by Julia Child is . . .

. . .Waterrose!!!

and

the winner of "The Patisseries of Paris" by Jamie Cahill is . . .

. . .julietk!!!

Please e-mail me at gossamertearoom@gmail.com and leave your address so I can send your books out to you!

It makes me so happy to give these special books to these nice ladies who came to visit and take tea with me on Saturday!

I would like to thank everyone who came and visited and left such lovely comments!!!

Have a good evening and to those friends in the US, Happy Fourth of July to everyone this weekend!!

Betty

Welcome!

(A Mad Tea Party With Books)

The love of learning,
the sequestered nooks,
all the sweet serenity of books.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Dearest Friends of The Tearoom,
Welcome to my Mad Tea Party and please go to A Fanciful Twist to see the lovely party Mademoiselle Vanessa is hosting there. While you are there, please check out the other parties too!

I am certain you all know the story by heart, but please indulge me while I read the relevant passage to you aloud:

"The rabbit hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.

Either the well was very deep, or she fell very slowly, for she had plenty of time as she went down to look about her, and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, she tried to look down and make out what she was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then she looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that there were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there she saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs. She took down a jar from one of the shelves as she passed; it was labelled 'ORANGE MARMALADE', but to her great disappointment it was empty: she did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into of the cupboards as she fell past it."

What sort of books do you suppose were there on those shelves? I would think that only beautiful, colorful, magical books lived there and if only she could have spent a bit more time, she would have read some of them!

And so, if I were to pick the books myself, here is what I would pick (they are all currently in my bedside reading stack of books!)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - illustrated by Camille Rose Garcia
This is a beautifully illustrated edition of the story of Our Alice! Camille Rose Garcia brings her edgy, almost goth vision to the visual re-telling in vivid pastel shades, black and gold. This book is a treat in every way, from the black and purple end-papers to the glossy black accents on the dust-jacket! Her illustrations turn our favorite piece of literary psychedelia into an even more intense visual confection.

Alice I Have Been - Melanie Benjamin
This is quite a fascinating book, a fictionalized account of Alice Liddell's life. To read it is to feel as though one has lived in that time, burdened by the constraints of social mores but steeped in the wonders of the time. As you may know, Alice Liddell was the little girl who inspired Lewis Carroll to write "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger
This book has received some mixed reviews, but I liked it a great deal. It will undoubtedly push some readers' boundaries, but is that not why we read, to provide us with other perspectives? Sisters, twins, lovers, ghosts and others all swirl through this story and a great deal of it is set in Highgate Cemetery in London.

Paris Patisserie (Forward by Pierre Hermé)
What can I say about this book except this: Read it and dream. If you have not yet visited The Divine Patisseries of Paris, you may now do so vicariously through this book! The photographs are so beautiful that you will have to remind yourself not to lick the pages!

And now, on to our tea. . .

Today, for this special occasion, it is being served from the beautiful and unusual Fornasetti teapot . . .. . . do you take cream and sugar, or lemon perhaps? Here is your cup, Dear Friend.

Our Very Mad Tea is inspired by that tempting jar of marmalade that Alice put back on the shelf on her way down The Rabbit Hole! Please enjoy a cup of Summer Blend with me, from Betjeman & Barton of Paris! They tell us this tea is comprised of black China and Ceylon tea with "essential oils of lemon, lime, orange, blood orange, tangerine, clementine, bergamot orange and grapefruit"!


A very special surprise guest has brought our teatime treat today! The Little Prince visits with us and brings us something delicious named for him, "Le Cake Petit Prince" from The House of Lenôtre in Paris!! It is described as "a soft cake sprinkled with almonds, orange zest and a syrup delicately perfumed with Grand Marnier"! ("Cake" in France is somewhat like what we describe as pound cake here.)
Finally, treats for you! Please don't forget to leave a comment so that your name will be entered into the drawing for the lovely give-aways! The first person drawn will receive "My Life in France" by Julia Child. If you saw "Julie and Julia" and loved Julia Child's story from the movie, you will adore this book.

The second randomly-chosen Mad Tea Party attendee will receive a copy of "The Patisseries of Paris" by Jamie Cahill. This is such a lovely little book and I promise you will love it! It is just small enough to tuck in your bag while travelling for reference while hunting the not-so-elusive pastry in Paris!!!

Each of these lucky winners will also receive one of my lovingly handmade Chapeaux des Gateaux bookmarks for their books!

Since I know this party could go on all weekend (or even into the week!), I will do the drawing for the give-aways on July 1st!

Thank you so very much, Dear Friends, for having visited with me today at The Tearoom!

Betty

Would You Like a Peek?

Dear Friends,
In my last blog post, we visited with The dAdA Dolls and I am pleased to say that we have been invited to a party where even more of them are in attendance!

I have created a website of the pictures I have taken of my on-going altered book project. It is called The dAdA Doll Party. Please click here to view the pictures and please check back often for additional images as I add them or continue to alter them.

While we are on the topic, who of you would be interested in an online class I am considering teaching called "The Fearless Altered Book"?

I trust I will see you later when our lovely Tea Party Madness will begin! It will begin at midnight EDT (for those friends who live far, far away!)

Until later tonight,

Betty

Introducing The Dada Dolls. . .

Dearest Friends,
Recently, whilst preparing for our Tea Party of Great Madness, I have also been busy working on a rather extensive altered book project. From that project were born some new friends. These tiny pictures are just the first of what I hope are many projects I will do about them.

This is Blanc de Rose.

This is her twin sister Rose de Blanc.

And this is their baby sister, Rose Lapin,
who dresses like a rabbit most of the time!

Together

They can be found on my Etsy shop here.

I do hope they will stop by again soon so we may have tea with them!

Please remember . . .

Dearest Friends,
This sweet little creature has something important to tell you:
"Please do not be late!"
He is talking about the divine Mad Hatter's Tea Party that will be held at A Fanciful Twist on Saturday, June 26th! And, of course, The Gossamer Tearoom will be participating! I do so love a blog party!!

If you would like to participate too, please go over to Vanessa's blog and leave a comment telling her you would like to be part of the fun. All the instructions can be found here.

I am planning such a fun party for us all and even some very nice giveaways too! So, please don't forget to leave a comment on that day to be entered to win!

I must run now and keep working on the festivities!

A New Etsy Item . . .

Dearest Friends,
Mr. V and I were recently wandering around the cemeteries near where we live, gathering something there that might surprise you. We were gathering letters for an alphabet! After taking some very cool photos, I have made them into a series of digital collage sheets that I am now selling on Etsy! I posted the first one today, which includes the letters A through L and you can see it here. The example above is just one idea of how they could be used in art projects (and by the way, the very cool background is from Jerry of Shadowhouse Creations. Thank you, Mr. Jerry!)

Three Years Ago Today. . .

. . . I married my best friend.

Happy Anniversary, Dearest Mr. V!

Thank you for every day of our life together.

I love you.

Betty

In Another World and Time. . .

Dearest Friends,
There is a beautiful but horrible, gorgeous but intolerable place, which is now very far away.
A place where José Andres lives.
On the last day we lived in this place, we ate at Café Atlantico, one of his restaurants.
The meal we had was beyond amazing.
These were the desserts we chose:

Pear & Pistachio Cake of pomegranate and poached pears, with pistachio sauce, chopped pistachios and pomegranate reduction


Pineapple-Lime Cake of pineapple mousse topped with pineapple-lime salsa, topped with caramelized Brazil nuts and black pepper, served with a scoop of Mexican sour cream sherbet (Pictures by Dear Mr. V)

Thank you Mr. Andres. You do not know us, but we would like to thank you for our last day of magic in Washington.

Betty & Victor

All Things Sweet (and Some That Are Not). . .

Dearest Friends,
You must forgive me! I have been absent from The Tearoom for so long! But I return with a plethora of sweet treats (and some not so sweet)! By the way, Dear Friends, making a small reference to my previous post, I want you to know that I believe that life is for living. The next time I get to France, I will be trying everything that looks wonderful to me!

Firstly, a few months ago, I added a link to Franck Deville, a patisserie in Saint Priest en Jarez, France. I so wish I could try these macarons!! This brilliant gentleman makes not only sweet but savory macarons!! And in such creative combinations!! Pictured above is his Tomato Basil macaron and below is his chocolate pepper!

Next, there is a new patisserie in Paris (actually they have been open a few months now) called Hugo & Victor (anyone who knows me well will understand my fascination with their name!) Their range of pastry is developed along fairly simple lines.
There are several standard flavors which will always be represented: chocolate, vanilla & caramel. In addition, they are currently also featuring Pineapple, Blood Orange, Kaffir Lime (!!!), Praliné and Litchi. Also for April and May, they are including Pistachio, Tea, Sugar Cane, Passion Fruit and Arabica (coffee) and other flavors will replace them seasonally. Their pastries are displayed in a very elegant way like they are pieces of fine jewelry. In order to have the best chance of drooling over what they have to offer, when on the link I have provided for you, scroll all the way down and click on "carte des creations" to look at the pdf.
Earl Grey Tea Macaron

Next, another fairly new patisserie in Paris is La Patisserie des Reves. Their name means "The Patisserie of Dreams" and dream you will after gazing at some of their beautiful creations. They specialize in new interpretations of classic desserts and their shop has the look of a colorful laboratory!
Tarte à l'orange
(Photo from Food Intellegence)


And finally, I received an e-mail this weekend from the lovely folks at Fauchon, showcasing their Mother's Day options, but I also found a something fun to while away the hours! Christophe Adam, who creates, among other lovely things, the dream-inspiring eclairs at Fauchon has a blog. And not just a blog, a gorgeous, eye-candy of a blog!These are his new baba creations (a baba is traditionally a rum cake, but these are his new versions of them, a new one every two months until November! They make me want to crawl through the computer screen!)
Plougastel Strawberry - April/May
Strawberry/Melon - June/July
Gooseberry/Raspberry - August/September
Pomelo-Orange - October/November

While you amuse yourselves with these enchantments, I will continue to get ready for The Mad Tea Party being hosted by A Fanciful Twist on June 26th!

And. . .Dearest Friends. . .there will be giveaways! I am having not one, but two! I can't tell you what they are yet because it would give away the surprise of the theme of my party, but I PROMISE you will love them!

So, don't forget to come back and visit with me on June 26th!

Because you are my friends . . .

I am about to break my one and only Rule of the Tearoom.

For a moment, I must ask you to follow me outside The Tearoom and into that place we call Reality.

For the times I am absent, I hope you will forgive me.

My Dear Love Mr. V and I left Washington, DC and moved to Maine a few months ago in order to take care of my elderly parents. They are both in failing health, but it has become apparent that my mother has Parkinson's Disease.

And in my efforts to care for her, I have not taken care of myself. Last week, doctors implanted a stent in my heart. I am much, much better now (just tired) and am grateful to the people who devote their lives to helping others.

Here is a belated Mother's Day dedication to my mother.



Please return with me now to the escape of The Tearoom . . .

. . .and thank you for listening.


Betty

Please Say You Will Come to the Party!

Dearest Friends,
I am so very happy to tell you that I will be participating once again in The Mad Tea Party, being hosted by Mademoiselle Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist! You all know how much I love a blog party! You can click here to see all the fun I had last year! I have already dragged out the trunk of ideas and images and am happily sorting through the things I will use for the party! What a mess I have made already, but I promise everything will be just perfect for you on June 26th! I just can't wait! But it won't be party if you are not there! So, please, won't you visit Vanessa's beautiful blog to find out how you can be there too?