Gloaming Designs

first picnic of 2011

it's been a busy couple of weeks here but last night we made time for the first picnic of 2011.

it's been warming up significantly in the past weeks and it's so much warmer than last year at this time. with the time change here in France over the weekend, the extra hour of light demanded a celebration! picnic in the bois.

we packed an all-in-one kind of meal, steak panzanella*, with lemon water and, of course, the Frenchman's requisite Camembert and apple for dessert (no, seriously. it's not a stereotype. every.night.) it was delicious and a perfect choice for the first picnic of many this year!

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have you been able to get outside and enjoy the spring yet?

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* steak panzanella is a recipe from the March/April 2011 issue of Jamie Magazine that includes: steak, cauliflower, arugula (i used a mesclun and herb mix), radicchio, lemon, rosemary, and croutons.

night in the Louvre

last weekend kicked off with a nocturne visit to the Louvre (Wednesdays and Fridays the museum stays open until 10 but, attention, the guards there think that means 9:30).

we headed start for a tiny temporary exhibit called Revenants. Images, figures et récits du retour des morts (Spirits. Images, figures, and stories of the return of the dead). which sounds like a downer, huh? but it wasn't! it was beautiful and full of energy with a beautiful mix of time periods and mediums.

it's hard to say if one piece was my favorite but the poster image for the show is half of a set of drawings done for the costumes of a ballet that was actually performed in the Louvre on March 8, 1632 (379 years ago today), and they are stunning. in this image from the Louvre's website, you can just catch a glimpse of the facing page which shows the dancers, having thrown off their black cloaks, wearing iridescent white clothing that was embossed by the artist.

it was inspiring, and i'll definitely be going back before it closes, but it influenced the way i saw the museum that night.

this lady got her usual design from a fire on the ship she sank with. hundreds of years later, she was rediscovered in a bay.

this necklace has a piece of the wearer's jaw fused to the metal.

there were stories from history still alive, almost breathing, and almost unseen, everywhere.

 

Marché Photo of the Week

it's been weeks since we've been able to get to the market on Sunday.

when that's the case, i get some things from the supermarket and others from the market on Wednesday but i'm always looking to see what was produced in France and nearby. one thing i really miss about visiting our favorite marché stand is knowing the general selection and progression of produce that the season is bringing to the market.

but this Sunday, we got to the market! here's what came home with us as we weaved on our bikes through the Semi Marathon de Paris crowds and traffic.

apples

onions

carrots

vieux mimolette

potatoes

celeriac

garlic

parmesan

mâche

parsley

dandelion greens

red cabbage

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for:

Risotto with Braised Celeriac (my new favorite risotto - they are a dream together!)

Caesar Salads and Mini Gruyère Soufflées

Broiled Turbot with Parsley Sauce and Braised Dandelion Greens

Potatoes & Sausage with Olive, Lemon, & Parsley

Salmon Burgers with Purple Coleslaw

Carrot Vichyssoise

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and the weekend was just as a weekend should be - equal parts getting things done and just hanging out enjoying the time. we haven't done that is so long! we even managed two movies: True Grit (more on that later) and Back to the Future which I had never seen (i know.).

how was your weekend?

and

happy Monday!

being happy

:: sun returning to Paris after its winter hiatus ::

:: a weekend with my boy ::

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sooooo looking forward to the weekend!

 

in the shop

here are a few of this week's goodies, headed to the shop.

~ love the blue of this vintage medicine tin! ~

~ make the house clean and gay! ~

~ another vintage remedy bottle ~

~ classic wooden frames with scarlet fabric backgrounds ~

and finally these!

vintage wooden bingo pieces. i have the cards too and i'm trying to decide if i should sell them as a set (family bingo night!) or in packs for re-purposing.

what do you think: set or packs?