Un Petit de Paris

Posted on March 30th, 2010 in Decor, Paris

After a very busy week last week I finally got the time to send out The Zhush her winnings of the Fragonard giveaway. I took my last picture of the cute little perfume before I said goodbye, and it got me thinking that I should share with you one of my favorite things which also happens to be Fragonard. Don’t forget to press play, it’s part of the experience…

I am keeping the pink perfume for myself.

After watching me admire this adorable pillow for sometime in the Fragonard window of their store in the Marais, my darling boyfriend surprised me with it. I love this pillow so much as it is my little Paris and brings the whole city to my sitting room. The pillow is a colorful little embroidered map of Paris complete with little illustrations of all the notable monuments, most prominently the Eiffel Tower so that is where we will begin today’s petit tour.

The Eiffel Tower lies on the Seine between the border of the 7th and and 15th arrondissments. The open park known as the Champs de Mars is a special place to the students at my school, as it is right next door to our campus and when the weather is warm, we often find ourselves studying or relaxing here after classes. I took this picture last spring when somebody had released a bunch of balloons into the sky.

The Sacre Coeur is the church that lies on top of the hill that is Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement. I have celebrated New Years Eve and Bastille Day here as it is a perfect place to gather and watch the firework shows that go off at the Eiffel Tower.

There is much more to Montmartre than the view though. There are charming restaurants and shops, as well as expansive fabric markets like the Marché Saint Pierre, where my good friend Rachel took this picture of me last spring.

Right in the heart of Paris and the middle of my pillow you will find the famous Notre Dame. After the revolution, Notre Dame was used as a stable for horses among other animals. The cathedral spent many decrepit and neglected years with floors covered in six feet of waste and sludge from these dirty critters.

It was the great success of Victor Hugo and his novel Notre Dame de Paris, or The Hunchback of Notre Dame as it is known in English, that shamed the city into cleaning it up and restoring it to its present day glory.

In the 5th arrondissement of Paris you will find the lively Latin Quarter, filled with students, universities and prestigious lycées. Of coarse the enormous Panthéon is also here, where the most prominent figures from the history of France are buried.

There are only two women buried in the Panthéon. The first one was Marie Curie who was buried here along with her husband Pierre for her contributions to science, particularly in the field of radioactivity. I cannot remember the name of the second woman, but she was the wife of a prominent french figure that is interred here. The couple both died in their sleep on the same night, so those in charge thought it only appropriate that she too enter the Panthéon to be buried next to her husband.

Le Marais lies in the heart of Paris, just next door to the L’Hotel de Ville, or city hall, and runs all the way to bastille and up to République. Historically it lied on the outskirts of Paris and was settled by the Jewish community, an influence you can still see much of today. At the beautiful Place de Vosges, there is a lovely park surrounded by the palace built by King Henri IV in the 1600’s.

Of coarse Le Marais is my home. It has been since I moved here two years ago and will always be my favorite place in Paris. On Sundays even when so much of Paris is closed, Le Marais is open and alive and I feel like I live in the center of the world as I walk out onto my door step.

I made The Zhush a little drawing of some of these monuments inspired by Fragonard’s interpretation of the city to send along with her perfume. I hope it arrives to her safely and I can’t wait to show you more of Paris through Bardot in Blue as time goes on.

The Winner Is…

Posted on March 20th, 2010 in Giveaway

After a very busy week I finally found the time to write down every commenters name on paper, cut them into little pieces, mix em’ up and pull one out for the draw. So who is the winner? None other than lucky lady and fellow blogger The Zhush! Madame Zhush’s blog is a wonderful mix of the best of fashion and decor which makes for a very chic little place she is carving out in cyber-space. This little blue pot of Fragonard perfume balm made the journey from Grasse, to Cannes, to Paris, and now it will cross the pond to Zhush in New York! Thanks so much to everyone who entered by commenting, I love reading each and every one of them! If you didn’t win this time don’t be too sad though, there will be many more giveaways to come!

Pretty Little Things & Giveaway

Posted on March 8th, 2010 in Giveaway, Shopping, Travel

After a bit of relaxing here in Cannes, the first trip out of town was just a few kilometers inland to the town of Grasse. While eventually I will share some photos of the beautiful scenery, what seems to have most caught my attention and the eye of my camera thus far are just the pretty little things. Grasse is famous for Fragonard in both its forms, Fragonard the famous french painter and Fragonard the perfume company named for its admiration of the renowned artist. There you will find the museum of perfume and all the pretty little things on display inside.

These regal little perfume bottles crafted into crowns where made for Prince Matchabelli, a line of perfume started by the Georgian prince and amateur chemist George Matchabelli. To the right is a beautiful little perfume bottle in the shape of a birthday candle.

This little doggy pulling a golden chariot of perfume was just too cute not to photograph.

There was no date with this vintage Belle de Nuit on display but I would guess it’s from the 1920’s or 1930’s.

These handsome little bottles came with beautiful silk boxes to match.

I couldn’t leave without a souvenir so I purchased these two these petit pots of parfum balm. Adorably purse perfect for a girl on the run like me.

This morning was spent browsing Cannes’ Marché Forville. Normally filled with a large food market Tuesday through Saturday, on Mondays the venue becomes a brocante.

Only a french dollhouse would be equipped with such a beautiful little canopy and murals.

I found a wonderful book on one of my favorite artists Raoul Dufy. Inspired by the scenes of the French Riviera, Dufy is known for the brilliant colors he used in his paintings. It was interesting to find some early sketches in black and white.

I would have loved to take that green glass vase with me, but I was afraid it would be a bit of trouble bringing back to Paris. The little birdie in the cage was also quite pretty although a bit dark in this picture.

We met the most amazing sunglasses vendor. Her lunettes were in perfect condition from every era of the last century. Better yet, while these glasses run up to 100 euros at the Paris flea markets, many of hers were priced as low as 25 euros.

These were two of my favorites. The bottom pair were vintage Lancel from the 1980’s sparkling with rhinestones. For those of you who aren’t up on the trend, 1980’s inspired shades are a hot item for spring and summer fashion this year.

French-Kissed took home this beautiful pair of muted pink enamel glasses from the 1950’s. She will now be seeing la vie en rose.

I bought this tortoise shell rhinestoned pair for spring and summer to make sure I’ll be up on the trend.

Lastly I bought this adorable little pink shaded lamp. It doesn’t work but I was willing to pay five euros for the pink lamp shade alone., even if it is a little dirty it only brings it charm.

One last very important thing before this post comes to a close. Bardot in Blue is having its first ever give away. If you would like to win this petit pot of Fragonard “eclat” solid perfume embellished with a fancy little eiffel tower, entering is as easy as commenting on this post! If you would like multiple chances to win be sure to comment on any other Bardot in Blue posts from now until March 15th when I will have the drawing. Happy commenting! Tomorrow…I’m off to visit Monaco!