Share Your Style #386

April 26, 2023April 26, 2023 French Ethereal

Welcome, everyone, to this week’s Share Your Style #386!! Hard sometimes to believe that this party has been going on for me since #189, I think… 😉 How has your spring been so far? Ours has been unseasonally cool for April, but I am NOT complaining! I know summer’s heat is just around the corner. School is out in just over four weeks so I am running towards that goal, how about you?

I am Barbara Chapman and I’d love it if you’d follow me here on my blog and on any of my other social media sites, too. Thank you!💜

French Ethereal: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest

Funny, I tried recently to shoot a new photograph of myself sitting on our living room sofa, but I couldn’t get the lighting right, I was off-center, the camera refused to focus… It was a hot mess! I’ve cut my hair since then so maybe I can try to “update” again soon. 😉 For now, you get a photo that is now almost seven years old. 😉

Let’s get this party started!

***Here’s what I shared this past week at* *French Ethereal…***

A Spring Basket for Our Shed Door ~ not part of the monthly Pinterest Challenge because I blew it, but published anyway!

And here are this week’s featured posts…

**Terrie from Decorate with Tip and More** shared How I Style My Kitchen Hutch . Love it!!! Love the bright pops of greenery against the soft greys and neutrals

Simply gorgeous!!! **Jeanne over at Selep Imaging** shared these lovelies in her post Lily of the Valley Flower Arrangement.

Always up for a good read! **Jeanie from The Marmelade Gypsy** writes about four books she read here ~ The March Books. All good ones!! Do check out Jeanie’s post… 🙂

**Sandra from Come to Dinner at Eight** shares The Delights of Afternoon Tea on a Tray. Love it!!! Tea time is always after my heart. <3

**Jennifer from Curated by Jennifer** shared this fashion pairing as part of her post
Dress with Sweater Over It. Love these two pieces together!!

How to Make An Easy DIY Moss Frame Wall Art Gallery- A vintage picture frame covered with greem moss and decorated with pussy willows, ferns and a small clay pot with a birds nest inside. — How cute is this?!! **Wendy from WM Design House** shares How to Make a DIY Moss Frame Art Gallery. Totally fun way to repurpose a worn-out picture frame! Love it!!!

***

Honorable Mention

Michelle from K’Mich Wedding Soiree Blog shared the prettiest jumpsuits which WOULD NOT let me copy and paste to my blog (not even through Pinterest, which will usually let me pick photos up). Nevertheless, I wanted to highlight Michelle’s post ~ This Gramma Vintage Style Are Ruling in 2022. She shared GORGEOUS “fashion oil painting style casual floral women style” pantsuits. Reminds me of a hot pink floral two piece set I had back in the 1990’s and a red corduroy jumpsuit I wore to school a lot in the late 1970’s… Do check out her post, friends!!!

Thank You so much to everyone who linked up this past week. A special thank you to everyone for always promoting Share Your Style on your blog and on your social media channels! I do see it when I stop by and I appreciate the love. 💜

If you’d like to follow my Share Your Style board on Pinterest I’d appreciate it, thank you! I do post all of the featured posts from each week’s SYS there plus usually other photos from those posts to my boards. 💜 Thanks so much!!! If you are new to French Ethereal, I hope you will think about subscribing to my blog.

And that’s it for this week, dear friends! I hope you have enjoyed this week’s featured posts…

Let’s party!

Barb 🙂

Holidays, Home Decor

Add Style with Thrift Shop Finds to Your Patriotic Mantel + Good 4th of July Movies to Discover!

July 1, 2022July 1, 2022 French Ethereal

Happy weekend to y’all, dear friends! All of the patriotic decorating posts I am seeing out on your sites has inspired me to redo my mantel!! A trip last week with my mother-in-law to her appointment with the Texas DPS in Gainesville to get her driver’s license (about 30 minutes north of us) had me out thrifting and antique browsing… And guess what I found?

While she waited for her turn, I went out to look around town’s shops and found a consignment antiques/thrift store just catty corner across the main street from where the Department of Public Services’ building is.

We had just stopped for lunch at Braum’s for burgers (they have great ice cream, too!), after touring the historical Medal of Honor outdoor park sites over the course of an hour-plus, and this little store was nice and cool on a hot 95 degree day…

Henry Hunt is a novel which was given to my husband by his mother who met the author at somewhere (B&N?). The book is signed. The blue textbook is one from my Political Science class in college. Really enjoyed that class!

The shop owners were very nice and I met a lady adding items to her section of the consignment shop. There were three floors inside and I was good and didn’t buy any more dishware (though I could have; always!).

What I found is this patriotic couple which are stamped Occupied Japan ( from the late 1940’s/early 1950’s is my guess) along their bases. Gini was excited about this little couple’s beginnings!! Of course she would be, she lived through that time right after World War II when Japan was occupied by the United States military and later as the Japanese military and people began rebuilding their country.

This man and lady in their 1776 costumes are a welcome addition to my small but growing collection of figurines! They go quite well with the French Sweethearts which I found in Denton a couple of years ago.

“L’homme et la femme parlent.” I have been busy studying French in both Duolingo and Rosetta Stone. Moving along and my pronunciation is getting better! I played with the chroma here. Our walls really look more this tan color, but it’s hard to catch it without “browning” everything else, lol!

Here is another look. I like this photograph better as the French couple’s colors are more true to life.

They also go equally well with the pair which Mr. Ethereal has had since forever…

Bluish-grey book on left: Of Plymouth Plantation ~ 1620-1647 by William Bradford, edited by S.E. Morison and found at Half Price Books, Austin, TX. That location has a massive older book section with a nice variety of used and signed books.

Hubby says that this couple (pictured above left, and another pair that are over at my MIL’s house) have always been in the Chapman family. It wasn’t something that they picked up when they toured Independence Hall in Pennsylvania during one of the summers when they traveled cross-country. Every summer for years they would drive to visit family and visiting historical sites over a two week period. I’ll have to ask Gini where they came from.

Sorry this is kinda blurry! I had to really lighten it up and pull out the blacks since the sun comes in through this westerly window late in the afternoon. Summer is really dark inside this house; winter photographs much better as the sun moves around more North-West in the late afternoon with the Earth’s rotation.

Our 4th of July mantel

Books ~ History and poli-sci books from school, that one Plymouth Plantation/Colonial history book, and a children’s book I picked up at our Scholastic Book Fair this spring are what I used as our mantel books this year.
Patriotic transferware plate ~ bringing in one blue dinner plate with Independence Hall on it as a central focal point was all that was needed. *
Colonial French and American figurines added the final touches with their red, white and blue.

*This set is Liberty Blue – Independence Hall made in England, Staffordshire Ironstone and says that it is “detergent and dishwasher safe.” I found some on Replacements Ltd. but there seems to be quite a few sites which carry them from anywhere from $10.80/plate to $23.00 (Replacements, Ltd.)

Back in 2019 I went with this on our mantel ~ sharing American Civil War and anything military since Hubby was a Marine. We have several sections of our big bookcases in the living room which hold a bunch of great tomes covering United States military campaigns and our country’s history, in general.

This second patriotic post was part of a Pinterest Challenge back in 2020, I believe. I need to redecorate our coffee table again but I’m in the middle of carpet cleaning and moving furniture around. I’ll share the new look as I get things finished!

More books up on the right side of our fireplace mantel. Really interesting reads!

Favorite Movies

Oh!!! If you haven’t seen the HBO mini-series John Adams, you should! It’s good!!

John Adams

I really liked Paul Giamatti’s portrayal as Adams. Laura Linney does a nice job of showing us Abigail Adams in much of their early married lives as the “harried housewife.” Mrs. Adams was busy raising kids in the late 1700’s, running a farm, and dealing with being a single mom much of the time while John Adams was away running the country.

At least that’s part of my take on the movie and the Adams’ lives! I recommend watching it over the 4th of July long weekend since it’s going to be super hot anyway… 😉

1776: 50th Anniversary 4K UHD

My inlaws introduced me to the musical 1776 back when Mr. Ethereal and I were first married and I instantly fell in-love with this film! It is based on the play of the same title by Peter Stone. Released in 1972 (I was 10 years old then.), I’m sure we saw it on reruns once a year on television, since my parents loved musicals, but I was probably too busy playing outside then and might not have been interested back then. 🙂

And that’s a wrap on our Patriotic Mantel (and a bit more) for this summer! I hope you have enjoyed this post and learned about some new books to check out at the library. I added the movies since you might be looking for copies of them, too. We actually don’t have 1776 so I think I will order. We’ve always just sat down and watched Gramma’s grainy video copy, though I think she has since updated to DVD or Blu-Ray. The old video is kinda nostalgic, I have to say. 😉

Happy 4th of July hugs,

Barb 🙂

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Come Sit a Spell! ~ Create a Reading Nook

September 22, 2020 French Ethereal

Welcome to this month’s Pinterest Challenge where my friend Cindy of County Road 407 sends a photograph to a group of us design influencers to use as inspiration to then recreate and make our own. September’s challenge is all about creating a Reading Nook! Of course, this is one of my most favorite places to be and I always have one wherever we live. Let’s jump right in…

If you are new here to French Ethereal, welcome! If you are just coming over from Michelle at Thistle Key Lane, I am happy to invite you into my home. 🌻 This time, Allison of Proverbs 31 Girl shares her beautifully renovated home with us and this reading nook in her casually cool, drop-cloth-loving, all-white style. Beautiful!

This particular post from Allison shows how her home has changed from before the renovation plus several reading areas throughout her home.

Allison hand-stenciled these drop cloth curtains!

My inspiration takeaway

a comfy chair with a drop cloth slipcover set near a window’s bright light for daytime reading
soft linen pillows for extra comfort
a nice nubby throw to snuggle under while reading
an ottoman to prop the feet on
a pretty basket with just one moss ball for decor
a standing lamp for evening reading

I do love all the textures here from nubby pillow covers and chunky knit throw blankets to creamy whites with touches of black as accents here and there!

Our home

During the summer months in our North Texas home, it is very bright and sunny in this living room now that the trees have been limbed up and some of the branches were taken out. Last year it was very dark in here hence our fall and winter project was to thin out our oak trees front and back.

It is much lighter inside now ~ perfect for enjoying the interplay of light throughout the day. Here in late summer/early fall a beautiful golden light comes in from these western windows which I love…

Iteration #1: I love to sit here with a cup of tea and while away an afternoon…The one pillow is turned sideways and is just where it needs to be for good back support.

Iteration #2: The first go-round I forgot all about having this knit throw and the pillows had been put away in our armoire. So glad I thought of them and pulled them out! Really love this spot now… You can see last month’s PC sharing a cloche here.

My reading spot and what I’ve done

slipcovers I already made dropcloth and matelassé slipcovers about six years ago for our two settees. You can find out how to make some for yourself in this five-part series beginning here.
pillows At the beginning of this year I found the nubby cream pillow (L) slipcover at a store going out of business for 75% off. Great buy!
a nubby knit throw this creamy knit throw came from the same store’s going out of business sale.
a second pillow The more patterned cream pillow with corner tassels is from Magnolia Market.
Bringing in color The bee skep pillow is from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
basket with decor a round basket sits on our coffee table with its pop of green and pumpkin for fall.
a tall standing lamp is positioned behind the library table for evening and early morning reading.
nix the ottoman the coffee table takes the ottoman’s place and is ideal for putting one’s feet up to read or to enjoy candles or a gas fire in the fireplace.

I shot these photographs as the sun was rapidly going down so I’ve brightened some of these photos up a bit for you. I left the top one purposely darker to share the view out the back window: A bit of the garden beyond with a new garden trellis Mr. Ethereal just hung for me this past weekend ~ part of our fall house projects. Our tall lady statue is now sitting infront and can just be seen in an upcoming photo.

Past reading nooks…

Of course we have had various reading nooks over the years depending upon where we lived. In our Prairie Home (our big RV) our kitchen window sill was often a reading “library” as was a small plant stand, which was also in the trailer.

This post about creating a library in small spaces can be found here.

Under the slipcover, this is what that settee looks like.

One of my favorite photographs is of my daughter Amy as we were enjoying an evening of reading with candlelight at our last home in California. It is definitely my favorite reading spot photo! 💝

She is all grown up now and looking to buy her first house soon which makes me excited to help her decorate when she is ready!

I am last this month so swing on back up to Cindy at County Road 407 to continue our Pinterest Challenge Book Nook tour. I know you will love the reading spot she has created for you… Do check out everyone’s reading nooks and bookmark this post to come back to for future inspiration! 📚

Happy reading, dear friends,

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Summer Reads: Dead As A Scone

June 20, 2020 French Ethereal

Summertime is the perfect time to laze-away a quiet afternoon pouring over a new book. This summer I thought I’d get around to sharing some of my favorite books with y’all! Let’s take a look at this mini mystery series by husband and wife writing team, Ron and Janet Benrey…

Of course I enjoy all sorts of books ~ probably just like you do! Mysteries are my particular favorite books for just happy reading and not studying anything in particular.

My mother introduced me to the animal stories (shown here in this mantel vignette) when I was in elementary school. She also introduced me to the Nancy Drew series of books, which at one time I had read them all and saved up my babysitting money to buy 23 for myself. The others I read through our school and local libraries. During the summertime on Hickam AFB, we had a Bookmobile which came around one day a week to check out books to read. THAT was a favorite day of the week!!!

But let’s get back to our book series, shall we? Yes!!!

Dead As A Scone is the first book in the Royal Tunbridge Wells miniseries created by the Benrey couple. Set in the real town of the same name over in England, Royal Tunbridge Wells, the book begins with Nigel Owen having just come aboard as acting director of the staff of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum. He is rebounding from a job loss in London, his hometown and favorite city, and is now bumbling around in hick-city Tunbridge Wells, or so he thinks.

American Felicity “Flick” Adams from York, Pennsylvania, born of ex-pats from Britain, has flown to her parents’ ancestral home across The Pond and has been newly-hired as the museum’s chief curator. Partly because of her love of tea (and everything there is to know about tea!) and because of her prestigious background in forensics and knowledge of antiquities, Flick is hired by Dame Elspeth Hawker although the eight trustees aren’t sure if this American woman is up-to-snuff.

The pair of Nigel and Flick make a good team and soon put their heads together to try and solve just how the daughter of Commodore Hawker, the founder of RTW Tea Museum, Dame Elspeth Hawker has died. Flick suspects foul play while the attending and revered doctor (and one of the museum’s board of trustees) calls the death a heart attack due to her age…

This short series of three books is very good and the characters are fun! Dame Elspeth ends up leaving her four pets to the museum ~ Earl, the grey African parrot; Cha-Cha, a small reddish dog “of the Shina Ibu breed;” and two British short-hair cats, Lapsang and Souchong (which nobody knows which is which) ~ along with funds to care for them ~ and funds to help acquire the Hawker antiquities outright which the commodore acquired in the 19th century. More mysterious problems abound but I don’t want to spoil the fun… 😉

I believe the series might have been longer as I believe these two books were selling well, but Ron Benrey passed away in May 2014 and the third book, A Jam of a Different Color, was probably rushed to print in November 2013.

I read one review which said that “too much was going on in this [third] book,” which leads me to believe that perhaps Mr. Benrey had been ill for sometime and was working on the book up until he couldn’t. Perhaps Janet Benrey had it published, unfinished and really unedited, anyway.

Nevertheless, the first two books, Dead As A Scone and The Final Crumpet, are really fun who-dun-it mysteries with tea parties, scenes around the village and elsewhere. Enough scenery to fill our Anglophile-loving senses with images of England’s countryside and with fun scenes within this fictional museum where sometimes the pets steal the show!

My rating? 5/5 💝

Happy reading!

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A Victoria-Worthy Tea in the Library

May 7, 2019June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Evening light is beautiful in “The Library” as the living room is now affectionately called. The bookcases are coming along, the corner hutch is filled, and the mantel is decorated for summer.

But today is all about reading, ethereal light and tea…

Victoria is my favorite magazine of all times ever since my sister-in-law Linnea left a few issues at my mother and father’s new home then in the early 1990’s. I came to visit and found something I didn’t even know I was looking for ~ ethereal photography in a magazine fresh and light and utterly beautiful.

The Library bathed in sunlight is the best place for reading in the late afternoon with its ethereal lighting. Beautiful light ~ a bit overblown but the light changes rapidly as the sun continues its descent beyond the oaks and fence and neighboring home outside.

Capturing a bit of the essence of Victoria’s now retired photographer Toshi Otsuki was the ideal for me…

Just beyond crickets are beginning their evening song. The robins snack at the birdfeeder just hung beyond the windows and Mr. Squirrel scoots around picking up fallen treats along the ground.

Peaceful and airy and dressed in white ~ the Golden Hour has come and one must capture it as best one can…

“Take a break,” the tea table calls to me.

“Come read a bit and let your heart be free!”

Pulling up a chair I do sit for a bit thumbing and revisiting

Old Friends…

Sip by sip the tiredness washes away on the dust particles floating by in the waning light.

To be lost and forgotten in a world of one’s imagination…

😉

Sharing with

Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage

Homestyle Gathering ~ My Wee Abode

Share Your Style ~ Here!

Style Showcase ~ Stone Gable

Party in Your PJ’s #261 ~ Apple Street Cottage

Félicité,

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A Step Back in Time ~ DFW Costumers Guild

December 2, 2018June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

“I’ve come to issue an invitation…” so said Colonel Brandon in Jane Austen’s classic story of romance and lost love, Sense and Sensibility, and shared beautifully in the movie adaptation thereof starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman as the colonel.

Step-forward 200 years to today…

A few weeks ago I felt like I had gone back in time to the early 1800’s when I was invited to attend a tea put on by a group of re-enactors from the DFW Costumers Guild. Held at River Legacy Park in Arlington, Texas, the setting for the tea transported those who attended to a gentler time…

Play this while you read this…

My two favorite photos ~ this one and our lead photograph!

Love is not love when it alteration finds

nor bends with the remover to remove…

~ part of Sonnet 116, William Shakespeare

My friend Laura who writes Decor to Adore invited me this day and I am so glad she did! Everyone visited for the first hour or so and enjoyed seeing each other and their costumes. A few of the ladies had either just finished making a new bonnet or a new dress and everyone was stopping to admire the new fashion. For myself, it was fun just taking it all in…

A shot right out of a Merchant-Ivory film!

I love the authenticity of the dresses, the peplum over shirts, the hoop skirts, bustles and petticoats worn underneath to fluff each skirt out in its style, and of course the hairstyles, bonnets and hats!

Meet Jane

This lady is the first person I met from the guild and her name really is Jane! She is exactly what I picture the real Jane Austen to have looked like in real life.

We had an impromptu portrait session, too, which was lots of fun!

Mother and daughter ~ Love this! 🙂

Love the family portraits!

I have shared my love for Jane Austen before in
this post and I probably will continue revisiting
Ms. Austen’s genre and books from time to time.
It is definitely one of my favorite periods in history.
🙂

On this day two members of the Victorian Fencing Society came to spar and share a little on the art of fencing and some history. The children were enthralled and after the demonstration they were invited to come up and try to fence a little themselves.

Such fun!

The trees and sitting pavilion cast a lot of shadow on our fearless
fencers (?) so much had to be tweaked to get these photos right. 😉

Dueling with rapier swords, I believe.

Sharing how one scores a point with a touch.

More discussion on technique and demonstrations with this sabre. These gentlemen explained about their outfits and that their quilted protective vests are actual fencing gear redesigned to look the period.

Don’t you just love these costumes?

Here Laura visits with these ladies and this sweet little chihuahua held most of the day by its owner.

Colonel Brandon: Miss Dashwood, Miss Marianne – I come to issue an invitation. A picnic on my estate at Delaford if you would care to join us on Thursday next. Mrs. Jennings daughter and her husband are traveling up especially.

Elinor Dashwood: We should be delighted, Colonel.

Colonel Brandon: I will of course be including Mr. Willoughby in the party.

Marianne: I shall be delighted to join you, Colonel.

~ from Sense and Sensibility Quotes

Some sat down to tea straight away as we arrived around 2:00p.m. but the ground was still damp from the week’s rains so later everyone moved to the pavillion and picnic tables spread with scarves and tablecloths in period appropriate styles.

Madame upon arrival ~ loved her costume, which is why I took this!
Then I felt badly because I hadn’t rushed over to help her but was
shooting pictures of her instead… 😉

Laura served us sandwiches from Panera as it was a super busy week for her (wedding business + blog + family and life) which were wonderful paired with the two teas she brought in traveling thermoses.

Other ladies brought chicken and hummus, cheeses and small petit fours to share with everyone. I had a few cinnamon chip scones and banana chocolate chip muffins in the freezer so I hurriedly arranged them on a pretty plate and brought those to share.

The tea was a wonderful outing for everyone and I am happy to have been invited to take part!

Here is the whole group in the late afternoon’s setting sunlight… Very ethereal day, Ladies and Gents!!!

Sonnet 116: Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare, published 1609

Here’s the link to Peter Doyle’s song from the film titled Throw the Coins.

Play it while you read this…

Sharing with

Friday Features ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!

Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog

Dishing It and Digging It ~ Angie the Freckled Rose

Thoughts About Plaid with Eva Trends ~ Shelbee on the Edge

Vintage Charm ~ My Thrift Store Addiction

Blessings to you,

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How to Create a Library in Small Spaces

June 29, 2018June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

Libraries although perhaps not quite as popular now with
today’s younger generation than with past generations due to
novel reading on tablets, computers and cell phones.
Despite new technology entering into the world of books

I think libraries can still hold a special place in the home.

They are wonderful to have on so many levels…

Libraries are easy and convenient to tuck anywhere and
within a small home this is especially true and a necessity.
Libraries with their books help give a home character ~
something that grounds the home and makes people feel
at ease when they come over to visit.

It’s always welcoming to go over to a friend’s home
and pick up a new book to read the jacket cover ~ you
may find a new author you’d like to try out and see if
you like their stories!
🙂

Library vignette

This little library vignette is easy to make with just a few
vintage hardcover books and one or two heavy objects

to help hold them up.

When picking books for small libraries pick books with

similar subjects or perhaps famous authors or even with cloth covers for your theme when you create

your vignette grouping.

Last Christmas I ended up decorating right around this little library of books I have collected over the past couple of years glamping.

Not having built or purchased small shelving for this location

a couple of pliable books became “a shelf” of sorts.

😉

What is it about books?

Part of any library’s enchantment whether large or small is the taking down of a book and holding it in one’s hands ~ it is a

visual and weighty sensory experience.

You can smell them too which might seem odd but I have heard from many friends over the years that they love the smell of the newsprint on which book pages are usually

printed.

Books are invariably of different weights due to the number of pages each contains plus the physical size of each book.

I love coffee table books for their enormous size!

Do you remember in the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility

when the youngest sister Margaret is reading her atlas in the library at their father’s house as his estate is being handed off to the new Mr. and Mrs. Dashwood.

(Emma’s character Miss Elinor Dashwood’s half-brother’s and wife)

Mr. Ferrars (Hugh Grant) has come for a visit while his sister Fanny and John Dashwood are at the country estate.

He walks into the enormous library room with his sister and sees this enormous book on the floor next to a sofa table covered with a rug (of which Miss Margaret has just scurried underneath).

He rightly surmises that the noise he heard upon entering the room is the young person the family is searching for and with a quick push back of his toe he moves the book under the table and

out of Fanny’s view.

Love that scene!

Another good place to create a small library in the home is surrounding a wall mount television.

This shelf above in the Christmas photograph shows the built-in cabinets below the television create a natural area for showcasing anything from books to holiday vignettes.

Here we are blessed with both.

🙂

Create a mini library with an unused garden stand.

Other small libraries

Recently I posted this photograph on my Instagram sharing a

mini library we have in our living room ~ just one little shelf on this wrought iron plant stand is being used to hold some

faith based books at present.

Two of the three legs of this stand hold up this little

grouping and keep these books within arms’ reach.

Having a small table used as an extra library table like this

creates a rotating display of books and other items and

can be changed seasonally ~ an easy way

to refresh one’s home decor.

Of course having a beautiful rack to hold magazines

in one’s small library is lovely to keep out

on display!

The possibilities are endless with mini libraries in

small homes… and in large ones.

I am an advocate of small bookcases in every bedroom especially in children’s rooms to help promote good reading habits and to

help foster the next generation’s

love of reading.

😉

The simple act of reading a favorite book

is a great way to relieve stress and to

take a trip to anywhere a story leads!

I’d love it if you’d share this photograph, thank you!

Sharing with

Feathered Nest Friday ~ French Country Cottage

Sweet Inspiration ~ The Boondock’s Blog

Dishing It and Digging It ~ Life and Linda
Waste Not Wednesday ~ Faeries and Fauna
Wordless Wednesday ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!

Happy libraries to you!

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Napkin Folding and a Little Book Review

April 26, 2018June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

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Napkin folding is an old art and there are sooo many styles to go with your tablescapes and to go with

whatever meal you are serving.
Today I thought I’d share just a couple of napkin folding
techniques and the book I found with you all
in a little book review.

I love looking for books and tea and etiquette books are
BIG on my list of “must haves” so when I found a newish
book on folding napkins which could help me
with setting a pretty table
I was all over it.

The photograph above is from a tea I photographed recently and here I’ve created a cute little floral napkin pocket ~
one of the napkin folding ideas I found in this
exciting little book.

Let’s get to this book review and tutorial
shall we?

🙂

*This is the original printing. There may be minor differences in the two.

Credited to Liz Belton, et al

Here a napkin style called The Pocket makes an informal tea table fun!

The Art of Napkin Folding

by Liz Belton and the editors of Ryland, Peters and Small

London and New York
rating: 5 stars
(an updated version ~ new cover ~ not credited to Ms. Belton, et al )

*This is the second publishing with some changes. I purchased the first printing.

I found this book to be charming with full high resolution color photographs throughout showing detailed step-by-step

instructions on creating more than a dozen folded napkin styles.

Each photograph shows how to recreate each napkin style and

is very thorough with the details.

My favorite of all the photographs ~ Love this kitchen prep photo with the Fleur de Lys napkins guarding the silver.

My nemesis has been the above photographed… the

Fleur de Lys.

I have another book written by the late Diana, Princess of Wales’
former butler Paul Burrell and I never could get this napkin
to work so I’m particularly glad that this book

does the job.

When I was trying several years ago to recreate the Fleur de Lys from Mr. Burrell’s book there must have been a step missing.

For this reason only is why I gave it four stars out of five.

Otherwise, for interesting tidbits about royal life and some wonderful stories about the princess and Mr. Burrell’s

time spent in her service ~ this is a lovely book and

I do enjoy reading it!

Both books are wonderful for the

aforementioned reasons.

In the Royal Manner:

Expert Advice on Etiquette and Entertaining

from the Former Butler to Diana, Princess of Wales

Grand Central Publishing, London

rating: 4 stars

I am an Amazon affiliate but any purchases you make here won’t cost you

a cent more. Please see my full disclosure here.

So, on to the today’s tutorial…

🙂

How to fold a Fleur de Lys napkin

*Starch and iron your 20″ x 20″ or similar

square napkin flat.

Press by folding to lightly create four squares

for future guide.

Open out and iron flat.

{The lines of each square should still be slightly visible.}

*Turn the napkin on the diagonal and fold the top point down

to meet the bottom point creating a large triangle.

*Bring both outer triangle points down to meet the bottom
point ~ as seen above.
Lightly press as you go through each step.

*Now fold each of these top points back towards the top.

*Fold the lower points up to touch the above folds
then fold up again a second time ~ as shown here.

*Fold a third time creating what looks like an old paper hat

many of us created out of newspaper as a kid.

Press again.

*Flip the napkin over and continue with the next step:

*Fold the left side and the right sides in by 1/3 each

and slip the right side into the pocket created

by the rolls of the left side ~ above.

*Pick up the napkin and round out the bottom to

make the napkin stand.

*Turn the napkin around to face you and fluff the

lily’s top “petal” and pull down the side petals.

That’s all there is to it.

Turns out it wasn’t so difficult after all.

🙂

The editors of The Art of Napkin Folding show even

more photographs than I’ve recreated here but I didn’t

want to spoil the book for you!

The Art of Napkin Folding shares tutorials for

napkins for contemporary occasions as well as for

classically vintage stylings.

The editors discuss traditional napkin sizes and the

history of napkins and relates napkin use to what occasions

certain sized napkins are used today.

Funny names for some of the napkin foldings are:

the water lily

the fan

guard of honor

the tuxedo

the rose

and perfect points

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I hope you’ve enjoyed this little napkin post and

I look forward to creating more napkins in future

tablesettings with you in mind.

🙂

Sharing with

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Sweet Inspiration

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Happy decorating,

Uncategorized

You’ve Got Mail, Bookshops and Great Design in the Movies

April 3, 2018June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

When I was a little girl in school there were three

favorite things I loved: first was recess

the second was P.E. and the third was going to the library

each week to pick out a few good books to read…

An interesting fluke showing the ending and beginning of two scenes.
These photos I shot with my iPhone off the television, as you can tell. 🙂

On Easter Sunday after going to church and

enjoying the Easter egg hunt that happened for the kids there

and while the potroast bubbled and simmered away

in its crockpot set on top of the stove

{which made our little prairie home smell wonderful by the way}

Mr. Ethereal, my hubby bear, and I watched old favorite

movies.

After watching A Dog’s Purpose which if you haven’t seen it

is absolutely wonderful.

Keep tissues near as you will laugh and cry.

;)’

Then I pulled out our next latest $5.00 video bargain and one

of the best love stories out there:

You’ve Got Mail.

Now you might ask yourself what in the world does

You’ve Got Mail

Tom Hanks’ character Joe Fox and Meg Ryan’s

Kathleen Kelly

have to do with design??

In this scene Jean Stapleton’s character has invited the girls over for a farewell to the Shop Around the Corner tea luncheon.
The setting with all its books, the tea table, the garden chairs and plants bringing the outside in is just beautiful, isn’t it?

Well the answer is…. Everything!

I love how the movie was staged. The furniture

the lighting and the decorations on the walls.

The brownstone row houses set in New York City.

Timeless. Classic.

Like my favorite Waverly linen pattern called

Norfolk Rose on the couch and on some of the pillows.

{This must subliminally be why I ended up buying

two yards of it last year to make my couch’s pillows!}

You get to see our home as it really is… 🙂 Loved and with a small glowing electric fireplace.

And our home when it is clean and shiny beautiful for you!

I crack up each time I watch this movie when Joe talks about

The Godfather as being the I Ching ~ the Nirvana

of everything.

And an explanation of everything according to him and it would seem every other American male out there.

Even my hubby understands the reference and it is

part of his psyche.

Weird.

😉

But really it’s the love that develops over time that I love about You’ve Got Mail ~ the relationships between the coworkers and

Kathleen and Greg Kinnear’s character and how there’s love there

between he and Kathleen.

But eventually there can only be one great love…

And the always romancing songs with notes just the right

pitch winding its melodic way in the background of the story

culminating in the actualization of a love that

will stand the test of time.

Timeless and classic

Then there is Kathleen Kelly’s bed and the scene where Joe

comes over to visit when she’s sick…

I have noticed this is also why I fell in love at High Point Market with the beds at Eloquence…

sigh!

You Do Know that I gave our old dark cherry bedframe

to our daughter as it was a queen size and we bought

a California king??

We will have to be buying a new bedframe at

some point…

And probably buying a smaller king mattress as in the

houses we are looking at here in Texas…

the Cali isn’t going to fit.

😀

And of course books and the mom and pop book shop

versus the newfangled idea of the big box store was all new

twenty years ago and feature throughout this movie

and are characters in themselves ~ along with then newbie

America On Line which we all know now

and love as just plain AOL.

Did you ever think that email would just become a

part of the fabric of our daily lives??

They are remaking memories

Whether it is intentional on the part of producers Nora and Delia Ephron or not that although many smaller bookstores would

go by the wayside the memories of loving books and stories

though changing where we would buy and read them

would remain and never die.

Even the movie itself is like a second or third remake

of a good old late 1930’s classic and this is talked about in a

10 year reunion with the Ephrons, Hanks and Ryan!

Kathleen Kelly climbs into bed while Joe Fox brings her tea over and tucks her in.
Love the gilding on this bed! Although today we would probably change the stripes
out for a solid linen this bed is still a classic design.

They come full circle

So they come full circle with bookshops changing to meet the needs of the times and for me there is also the scene with Kathleen Kelly’s bed…

I love that bed and it looks like some of the beds I saw at Eloquence while touring there this past fall.
And then last year while wandering around Dillards
at one of the malls in Frisco or Plano
I found this bed by Cynthia Rowley.

Whether one of these companies made the bed used in this movie with it’s striped Ralph Lauren 1980’s look or another big design house made them…

I love the curving design of the headboard from You’ve Got Mail
and it’s sweet antique quilt and comfy bed linens
and the bed’s Gustavian-Louie posts.

Timeless, classic and still on trend and chic!

A photograph I took of books while visiting Second Impression Antique shop in South Dakota.

Remember

I do miss a favorite old bookstore that used to be in Temecula

when we first moved to Murrieta, California in the early 1990’s

and it was called The Little Professor.

I took my two kids there for storytime along one painted wall with children’s book characters brought to life there was a hole.

This hole was big enough for even adults to crawl through so that

we could all go inside and back in time to enjoy the best

stories of our childhood.

Somewhere over the rainbow

But eventually there can only be one great love…

Keep the tissue box nearby

And I won’t spoil it for you if you’ve never seen this movie.

But do go rent it or buy it online somewhere

and enjoy the beautiful set designs

the city of New York in the fall and the wonderful romantic comedy that it is.

Sharing with
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Feathered Nest Friday
Sweet Inspiration
Thursday Favorite Things

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Always… where skies are blue,

Uncategorized

A Special Homemade Christmas Marmalade Cake

December 12, 2017June 21, 2019 French Ethereal

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Sharing a specialty cake
with our friends and family is one of
the most appreciated gifts we can give of ourselves

any time of the year but especially

during the holiday season…

Here is a showstopper

of a cake in its original recipe version created by the

Los Angeles Times and shared by Victoria Magazine.

Authoress Jan Karon, who writes some of my most favorite books about a fictional town called Mitford, thought of
this recipe idea for Esther, one of Ms. Karon’s characters, to bake
for friends and family during the holidays and
for special occasions.

Recently I wrote about Jan Karon’s recently published
To Be Where You Are.
It’s fun for me to be able to share one of the recipes
she dreamed up for her Mitford series of books
here with you today!

Esther’s Orange Marmalade Cake

3 cups cake flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter

{*I goofed and used salted this time… just cut your salt in half*}

2 cups granulated sugar

3 lg. eggs, room temp., slightly beaten

1 Tbsp. grated orange zest

1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

{*if you don’t have buttermilk on hand, make it with:

3 Tbsp. white vinegar and enough milk to equal 1 cup*}

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Orange Syrup

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

{I used a bottled o.j. and it works just as well}

1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the filling

1 cup orange marmalade

{or enough to cover the bottom cake half ~ I like to use a more sour marmalade

and mixed the remainder of my sour with a new sweeter version for this cake.}

For the frosting

3/4 cup well chilled heavy whipping cream

3 Tbsp. sugar

3/4 cup well chilled sour cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter (2) 9″ round cake pans, line with parchment or waxed paper, butter and flour the paper and shake out the excess.

2. Sift flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Use an electric mixer, beat butter until soft, add sugar a little at a time. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, orange zest and vanilla. Beat in 1/3 of the dry ingredients alternately with 1/2 of the buttermilk. Add 1/2 of the remaining dry ingredients and the remaining buttermilk, then add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

4. Divide the batter between the 2 pans, smooth surface, rap on the counter to expel air bubbles. Bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to racks to cool in the pans 20 minutes.

5. To make the orange syrup — Combine the orange juice and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.

6. With a toothpick, poke holes at 1/2 in. intervals in the cake layers, spoon the syrup over each layer letting it absorb. Let layers cool completely.

7. To make the filling — In a small sauce pan, heat the marmalade over moderate heat until just melted. Cool for 5 minutes.

8. To make the frosting — In a bowl, whisk the heavy cream with the sugar until it forms firm peaks. Add the sour cream a little at a time and whisk until of spreading consistency.

9. To assemble the cake — Arrange one of the layers on a cake plate, carefully peel off the waxed or parchment paper, then spread 2/3 of the marmalade over the top — smooth it into an even layer. Invert the remaining cake layer onto the top of the first layer. Peel off the waxed paper and spoon the remaining marmalade onto the center of it, leave 1 1/4″ border around the edge. Frost the sides and top of the border with the frosting. Leave the garnish marmalade visible on top.

Or, frost the entire cake and add the marmalade as a garnish on top. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving…

***There is a second recipe using boxed cakes but I won’t share that one today… Maybe for Valentines!

😉

Just some extra notes: I cannot for the life of me find my round

cake pans, so… I had to improvise and use my Bundt pan instead.

I think it actually looks more festive!

If you use your Bundt pan, you’ll want to let your cake cool the full

20 minutes and slide a knife around all edges of the pan both along the outside and inner edges of the cake to help

loosen it from the pan.

I did not use any waxed or parchment paper with this cake but

did spray more butter spray inside the cake pan.

For this Christmas cake version

Just some extra notes: I cannot for the life of me find my round

cake pans, so… I had to improvise and use my Bundt pan instead.

I think it actually looks more festive!

If you use your Bundt pan, you’ll want to let your cake cool the full

20 minutes and slide a knife around all edges of the pan both along the outside and inner edges of the cake to help

loosen it from the pan.

I did not use any waxed or parchment paper with this cake but

did spray more butter spray inside the cake pan.

Also, I don’t measure or heat up my marmalade anymore.

I like to just scoop it out and spread it more like jam

instead of very thinly as the original recipe does.

Last notes: put your unfrosted cake into the refrigerator

for 10 minutes to chill. This will make frosting it much easier

and keep the cake from “peeling.”

Pull out the frosting from the refrigerator

{you would be putting it in to keep it cool while the cake is cooling, after you make the frosting}

a little before you’ll be spreading it.

Makes it easier to spread.

;)’

Instead of spreading the frosting “drip” your frosting on

in mounds and spread back up as it falls down inside the hole.

This creates a “snow effect” which is really pretty with the

thickened sour cream frosting.

Add some cranberries around the outside and fill up the

inside hole created by the Bundt pan

to make your cake pretty and festive.

Include some real juniper tucked around it, too, or

other beautiful and non-toxic greenery.

I am an Amazon Affiliate and my full disclosure can be found Here. It doesn’t
cost you any more to purchase through here, but it I may earn a very small commission.
Thank you. 🙂

Sharing with

Make It Pretty Monday ~ The Dedicated House

Wow Us Wednesday ~ Savvy Southern Style

Create Link Inspire ~ The Crafty Blog Stalker

Totally Terrific Tuesday ~ Savvy Apron

Tuesday Cup of Tea ~ Antiques and Teacups

Metamorphosis Monday ~ Between Naps on the Porch

Wonderful Wednesday ~ Oh, My Heartsie Girl!

Happy Baking!

Tag: books

Add Style with Thrift Shop Finds to Your Patriotic Mantel + Good 4th of July Movies to Discover!

Like this:

Come Sit a Spell! ~ Create a Reading Nook

My inspiration takeaway

Our home

My reading spot and what I’ve done

Past reading nooks…

Like this:

Summer Reads: Dead As A Scone

Like this:

A Victoria-Worthy Tea in the Library

Like this:

A Step Back in Time ~ DFW Costumers Guild

Meet Jane

Like this:

How to Create a Library in Small Spaces

Library vignette

What is it about books?

Other small libraries

Like this:

Napkin Folding and a Little Book Review

How to fold a Fleur de Lys napkin

Like this:

You’ve Got Mail, Bookshops and Great Design in the Movies

Well the answer is…. Everything!

Timeless and classic

They are remaking memories

They come full circle

Remember

Somewhere over the rainbow

Keep the tissue box nearby

Like this:

A Special Homemade Christmas Marmalade Cake