Fighting Angel

A few weeks ago I featured an altered book called 

Barbara & Blanche Rose here on the blog.  

This one is a prequel, about their brothers during WWI.

I used an old book that I picked up at
 a Friends of the Library sale.

The title Fighting Angel seemed
perfect for a tale of the conflict.

It was fascinating to go through all my ephemera and

 pull out items relating to France and the war.

I enjoyed creating the various collages,

and trying out different techniques.

I have thought about revisiting these characters and doing one more book that would be set during the '30's and follow what happened to Barbara and Blanche-Rose with their writing and painting careers.

From the Bookshelf

I fell in love with Vivian Swift's When Wanderers Cease to Roam a couple of years ago and was delighted when I saw she had a new book out.  How could I resist a combination of a favourite author and travels through France?  Filled with her charming watercolour sketches and quirky writing style this is a volume that will appeal to armchair travelers everywhere.  I mean let's face it, how many of us can get to France as often as we'd like to?  So, find a local sidewalk cafe, order a cafe au lait and a warm croissant (or a pastis, if it's afternoon) and indulge in a few hours of Le Road Trip - a trip to France without having to bother with security checks and custom lines.  C'est si bon!

The Return of the Little French Chef

Two more vintage shots of the little French chef.
Attacked by the vicious onion,

and noting the colour and bouquet of the evening's wine.

These are the delightful calendar toppers that
appear each month at Castle in the Air in Berkeley.
If you've never been, you must go!

Le Petit Chef Francais

For several months now Castle in the Air, a magical shop on Fourth Street in Berkeley, has been featuring these wonderful vintage post cards on their monthly calendar.

From recalcitrant lobsters to a lapin that looks suspiciously like a chat,

to an omelette souffle that requires some extra air,

our petit chef is one busy boy in the kitchen.

Gifts of a French Nature

There's nothing as wonderful as having someone in your life who "gets" you, as Michelle Ward says. And when that someone is your loving spouse - life is very good indeed!

These are photos of one of my birthday presents from Margot, a vintage wooden box that once held building blocks.

French building blocks - "Jeu de Construction". The illustration on the lid is pure 19th century. Found in an antique store in Sebastopol.

And this is a delightful reproduction of a French Market Birdcage - my Valentine's gift from my darling wife. Even more special, because we saw cages such as these at the Bird Market on the Isle de Cite on our honeymoon in Paris.

Poisson d' Avril

photo courtesy of http://www.vintagepostcards.org/

April Fools' Day - or if you are in France, Poisson d' Avril, literally the Fish of April. If you were in Paris or Provence today you might find a cardboard fish taped to your back, put there by a prankster (somewhat like the "Kick me" signs we all remember from grade school). When the fish is discovered - everyone shouts "Poisson d' Avril!!" Ah, those crazy French.

Wooden fish from my bedroom balcony, overlooking Morro Rock