Nothing Like a Little Bubbly

Years ago, I fell in love with Champagne.  I use to believe it was only reserved for special occasions until I met my Aussie friend, Jan.  She was tall, elegant, Australian, and a cross between Morgan Fairchild and Linda Evans when they were in their prime.  She exuded sophistication and glamour.   She was my first real friend when I moved to LA.  We worked for the same company and felt an immediate connection.  Little by little we started to socialize outside of work and I learned that Jan was a champagne connoisseur.

I always associated it with holidays and special occasions, etc.  She use to say to me in her Aussie accent there is nothing better than French Champagne.  She would drink it on a Sunday, any evening of the week, or at lunch on the weekend.  Everyday was a champagne day.  She taught me there is no better time than the present to drink champagne.  Over the years, I have come to appreciate her philosophy. 

What I love about champagne is you can be having a bad day and all you have to do is hear the cork pop.  There is nothing more beautiful than watching champagne bubbles in a glass. Champagne simply put, makes me happy!   My friend use to say, “Your the only person I know who drinks Champagne on a Tuesday!”  My response, “Why not, Tuesday?” especially when my mom and I discovered there was such a thing as a champagne stopper at Williams Sonoma.    Once I discovered that, Champagne was part of my week.

I was recently celebrating my friends ten year anniversary for her boutique.  I wanted something different that we had not had before.  Joe, the owner, of our fabulous local wine shop Manhattan Fine Wines suggested a bottle of Rose Bollinger to help celebrate the occasion (see below).  We found this fabulous quote on the side of the box and I think it expresses my thoughts exactly on Champagne:

“I drink champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it - unless I'm thirsty.”

~ Madame Lilly Bollinger ~

 

 

In addition, there is nothing more decadent than fine chocolate while drinking Champagne.  I stumbled upon these truffles a number of years ago while in the home and decor section of the Beverly Hills  Neiman Marcus.   I had bought several champagne truffles from the chocolate case and loved them so much that I bought a box.  Neiman’s no longer sells them.  I became so obsessed with them, I tracked them down one year on-line (in a Boston boutique) and ordered several boxes.  My neighbor Andy works for he UK Film Council and is back and forth between London and LA.  He’s always asking me what I want from London.  I can never think of anything (that’s within budget LOL).  He was on his way home last week and texted me to see what I wanted, of course, at the very last minute, I emailed him to say, “Charbonnet Et Walker Champagne Truffles,  PLEASE!”

I say to all of you ~ break out the bubbly and celebrate.  Celebrate your day, celebrate your kids, celebrate your significant other, celebrate life, celebrate your friends, celebrate the craziness, but most of all celebrate yourself!

Affordable Art on Etsy

Yesterday I had typed this entire blog and was in the middle of copying something when my computer froze up and I lost the entire blog post. I was so frustrated, I had to step away and here I am again today trying to duplicate what I had almost completed Saturday.

I spent yesterday morning on Etsy looking for some art for my downstairs bathroom.  It has burgundy color walls with white wainscoting with maroon and white vintage tile.  I was looking for a sizeable painting or unique print for one wall, however, I wanted a beach theme.  As I was looking for something to match my bathroom, I came across some fun art that I thought might interest those that live near the beach or simply enjoy the ocean.

For those of you who don’t know about Etsy, it’s the Ebay for creative and talented individuals.  They carry art work, handmade jewelry and pottery, handbags, vintage items, etc.  You have to be patient because it doesn’t let you view 50 or 100 items per page and for me this can be frustrating.  However, don’t let that deter you from shopping.  It’s a great place to find a unique gift.  Here’s some of the fun things I found yesterday.

Black Baroque has fabulous art (see below).  She has long collected vintage books like most women collect shoes.  She uses antique illustrations from one book, with an antique page from another book to create unique works of art.  What I love about her site is she shows you how the art would look in a room setting.  I have taken a few examples to show you below.  She has all types of subjects such as:  shells, flowers, peacocks, elephants, food, etc.  Whatever, your fancy is, she has it.  I love these for a single picture, groupings of three, four, six, etc.  My favorite, the peacock below.

 

 

Cassia Beck is from Brighton, U.K. (see below) who enjoys all things vintage.  She takes her camera everywhere and enjoys flaws and blurs in her work.  She believes these imperfections create the atmosphere behind her photos.  She also has a blog http://cassiab.blogspot.com/  with incrediable photos.  What I love the most about her work is the soft color palette, which tends to be my personal style.  The four pictures below are postcards.  I love all of them, but especially the row of garages or buildings.  I use postcards often as art.  I buy an oversized mat and frame so the picture/postcard really pops and stands out.  These four would look great in a group setting.

 

These are four separate pictures that I put together from her collection.  I envision these in a little girls room. 

Magic Marking Art (see below) is an artist and mom of two teenagers.  She is also a teacher of art as well out of her home studio.  She paints mostly on canvas but also on wood.  Take a look at her wood paintings in her shop Magic Marking Art.  They are unique and would make a great display on a table or leaning against a wall.  These two below were the ones I was considering for my bathroom.  I prefer the top one because of it’s softer color palette.  If I end up buying it, I will take a picture and show you how it looks in the bathroom.

 

For those of you who like beach and surf scenes, I love the ones below.  They would look great as a series or individually.

 

 

These bicycles (see below) caught my attention by Den 10 Studio.  See what she says about her work.  I think this about sums up how I felt about this picture.

“I am creating art prints that I define as “art for the youthful spirit.” Art that inspires a fresh and optimistic attitude, and reminds us to savor the things that make us happy. There is something about the simplicity of an object that reminds us of a moment in time that we enjoyed. This art was created with those moments in mind...the little moments that refresh the soul.”

Living at the beach we are pleasantly reminded of the feeling of being a kid.  In Manhattan Beach people ride all types of bikes ~ sometimes colorful, sometimes rusty, sometimes double, people with dogs in baskets, kids in tow, but everyone is smiling and the best part ~ it’s all ages.  It’s that blissful feeling of riding along the strand with the wind in your face makes you feel like a kid.  Like Den 10 Studio says, “it’s refreshing the soul”. 

Bragging Bags can customize these photos (see below) to say whatever you want.  If your a guy (likely they are not reading this) ~ what a great way to propose. Girls pass on to your brothers or guy friends.  OMG!  Wouldn’t this make the most romantic proposal if it said, “Will you marry me?”  There are so many great gift ideas that you could do with these photos.  It’s the perfect gift for Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Wedding, anniversary or use as a save the date for a wedding or simply let someone know your thinking of them.  If your looking for a creative gift, this is it!

 

I spotted these and I had to post them for my New England friends.  Laura Trevey's lobster and crab’s are perfect for that beach house in New England.  Plus, it makes me miss Maine lobster and crabbing as a kid.  How cute would these be framed in a living room or a kitchen.

You know I love to show you all my great Bargains. I’ve been looking for reasonable vintage beach paintings on Ebay and Etsy.  Here’s a cute little picture (I use cute little a lot) I scored on Ebay a few weeks ago for $17.00 including shipping. It was a vintage signed oil painting that was so charming, I had to have it.  It’s only about 8” x 5”, but it’s darling.   Most of the ones I tend to gravitate towards are not in my price range, but just like a flea market occasionally you come across a great bargain.

Hope you find what your looking for!

Wine Bags

I love tasteful wine bags and found these while browsing on-line. I’m always looking for materials other than the standard paper wine bags. With the holiday’s upon us it’s a great way to dress up wine or champagne bottles.  The recipient will be impressed for sure!

 

Corkscrew Jute Wine Bags - Wisteria

 

Acts of Kindness Wine Jute Bags – Wisteria

 

Wine Bottle Accessories – Pottery Barn

 

Handmade Wine Bags - Etsy

For the Sports Enthusiast - Amazon

 

PHOTO CREDITS:  Photo 1 and 2:  Wisteria, Photo 3:  Pottery Barn, Photo 4 and 5:  Etsy, Photo 6:  Amazon