Surprises At the End of the Lake.

 

My husband always tells people that the reason he loves me the most is because he says, “I find the beauty in everything.” Isn’t that sweet! But it’s only partially true, because I can find the ugliness too. He says that he is envious of me because the smallest things make me happy (this does not happen to him because he is… French.) This is true that the smallest things make me happy because yesterday I had a mini explosion of happiness over a chestnut tree. But then, he says that I over exaggerate. This is not true. It is merely that I am enthusiastic. Then, I tell him that his complements are backhanded. I am very familiar with the backhanded compliment because my aunt is the master of this. She says things to me like, “It’s so cute that you’ve gained so much weight.” She has passed this trait down to her daughter, my cousin, who gave my husband for his birthday a beautifully wrapped self-help book.

This week, as we are still at the lake (Lac du Annecy, France), we have had a very exciting time, according to me. It was a week of “scoring.” Or as Charlie Sheen would say, “Winning!” However, there is always the ying and the yang in life. While all of these good things were happening to me, I also noticed that my voice is getting weaker. The ALS is kicking in. I chose to ignore it but, of course, my husband freaked out and told me that I had to pace myself with speaking. Buzz kill. The boss of me, my husband, said I can only do a few blog postings a week. So there you have it. That’s the bad news. But the good news outweighs the bad. Here’s the good news…

Should I save the best for last? No, I’m impulsive, so I’ll tell you now. Now remember how my husband says that I over exaggerate, but this time my “enthusiasm” is completely founded. I don’t think that there is a human being on earth who would not have been excited by what happened. And if you would not be excited then you are dead inside and you should seek therapy or kill yourself. Let me start by saying that when this incident was occurring, I totally kept my cool because I’m a lady for fuck’s sake. So…on Saturday we decided to take a long drive around the lake to the end of the lake.  It could not be more remote. It just so happens that at the end of the lake there is a beautiful, serene, exclusive hotel called L’Auberge de Pere Bise. We decided to have an afternoon drink on the terrace. Considering it is the end of the season, there were only three tables occupied. Ours included. We had the perfect table right at the edge of the lake. I did not want to be facing the sun directly so I had my husband turn my wheelchair horizontal to the lake which caused me to be staring directly at the table next to me. As I was looking at the menu, my husband kept saying, “Ellie, what would you like? Ellie, what would you like?” I was not answering him. Why? Because I was absolutely speechless. There was a woman sitting at the table next to us staring right at me. It only took me about half a second (because I’m a professional) that it was none other than Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Monaco. Princess Grace’s daughter!

 

 

Let me state for the record that I do not get starstruck. I do not, as Erin Foster says, “change around celebrities” like she says she does. :-) Never ever do I do this. Until this day. I honestly think I felt a tear come to my eye. Remember, my daughter’s name is Grace and I unabashedly and absolutely will admit that I named her after Princess Grace. And here, on this odd Sunday in September at the end of the lake, here I was sitting next to Princess Caroline and all of her history and all that it entails. Here are the details. She was having lunch with two of her children, the boys. She was wearing a white linen button-down shirt, cropped jeans, and low Converse sneakers. The epitome of chic. She was wearing sunglasses at a point and exchanged them for her reading glasses. She was tapping away at her iPhone, no doubt on Instagram. She had a beautifully groomed dog with her as well. And here’s the best part… Her Royal Highness Princess Caroline of Monaco was smoking a cigarette. I was actually relieved when she left because I could start breathing again. My husband refused to take a picture on the grounds that he has some class. So, all I have to show for this glorious occasion is a picture of her table…after she left. It will have to suffice. Use your imagination. Look look look…
 

 So I’m not sure if anything I say from here on out will be as exciting as that but everything else we did this week was at least half as exciting, but exciting nonetheless.

 So…if I do say so myself, I have an uncanny ability, I think, in my opinion, to be able to find things that have great style without breaking the bank. I have to be very careful about not breaking the bank because I have to pay my stupid caregivers. Apparently, they don’t work for free. And by the way, I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to use the word “stupid” considering one of my caregivers started to wash my face today with a bathmat. So, I get very excited when I find something that is “chic and cheap.” This happened to happen all week this week. First of all, we stopped by the local Zara shop to find a scarf for my husband’s ailing mother, and my selfishness took over because all I could concentrate on was a leopard jacket that I saw out of the corner of my eye. Price check €70. Ellie “winning.”

 Secondly, in a little teeny tiny poor excuse for an antique shop, more like a junk shop, I spied with my little eye my Creuil Montreau Monet cerise china pattern! The little old French lady had two pieces. A cake plate and a fruit plate. Price check €50 for both! Ellie “winning.”

 
Next up, the little brocante. A brocante is our American version of grandma’s attic sale on the street. I don’t typically go to these brocantes because I’m not a big fan of bric-a-brac, tchotchke or crap but I love accessories. There’s a difference. While this brocante was complete shit, mostly Romanians reselling things that they had stolen, I did, with my discerning eye, manage to find three charming accessories. In a dirty old little box something blue caught my eye. It was a little tin container I think from the 70s that used to hold coffee from the company Ricoré. It looked perfect  for a bouquet of little garden roses. I asked the little old French lady wearing a house dress and no teeth the price…Price check one euro. Ellie “winning.”

 

A few dumpy booths later, I found a little tin Quimper box exactly the same as my grandmother had used for her sewing tools. I thought it would be perfect to put my French anti-anxiety “crazy pills” in. I may be crazy, but at least I’m classy crazy.
 

 
At the last booth, sitting inside a neon green plastic box, I found this gorgeous polychrome water pitcher that I thought would be perfect as a vase with autumnal flowers on my paisley tablecloth. Price check eight euros. Ellie definitely “winning.”

 

Unfortunately, we do not think that the little lake house will work out because of the treacherous driveway, the steep interior staircase and the fact that the owner only wants to rent the house until March. Begrudgingly, I was forced to “look at other options.” As I am the master of this, I of course, found an interesting option. There is an old house that has been on the market for over a year. It is for sale. My idea is to convince the owner to rent the house to us until it sells, which it never will. I have watched every single episode of Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles and New York so I am legally, not legally, a real estate agent. I even pulled together the “comps” of the neighborhood to prove my case. Yes to your question that my husband thinks I’m a pushy American. But guess what? This girl gets shit done.
 

I have also included a few pictures that we took from just driving around the lake. Look look look...

 

So that’s the week in review. Definitely, a winning week. I think we have to leave our beloved Lake Annecy at the end of this week and go back to that dump called Paris. :-) Stay tuned… And we will continue our Art Of Entertaining series.

Flower School

 

I want to start this blog today by thanking everyone for their kind comments and emails. I read every single one and they all make my day. Then I read them to my husband and say, “Jealous?” :-)

In this part of The Art of Entertaining, let’s talk flowers. My daughter, Gracie, doesn’t know it yet but I am enrolling her in weekend flower school here in Paris. She’ll thank me later. It’s part of her “education” in Paris. Flowers are the icing on the cake when it comes to entertaining. But for God’s sake, let’s do it right. If I see one more sliced lemon inside of a vase of daffodils, I’m going to kill myself. When it comes to flowers, I like to think outside the box but with some “decorum.”

First of all, I think it’s important to put some thought into the vase. By the way, don’t you hate this new fad of calling a vase a “vessel.” Call a spade a spade, call a vase a vase. I love using the unusual… wine crate, Moroccan tea glass, antique urn, Mercury glass cup, old French enamel pitcher, antique sterling silver trophy cup, loose tea containers, Chinese blue and white ginger jar, terra-cotta pot, old bucket, Delft tulipiere, antique cache pot, wicker basket, majolica, faux bois… just anything that does not shout “Clear Glass Vase from FTD!” I am not a huge fan of exposed stems. Take a look at these gorgeous "vases"...

 

 

 

 

 

I am also in love with asymmetrical flower arrangements. Take a look…

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I love the most is unusual accoutrements in arrangements. Orange branches, kumquat branches, strawberries and their leaves, rosemary, basil, lavender, peppermint, geranium leaves, cherry blossoms, magnolia branches, blackberry branches, artichokes, fig branches, olive branches, persimmons, fall leaves and fruit (used properly). Take a look…
 

 

Whenever I feel a little lost in my faith, I look at a flower and remember that there is a god. I mean, who else made that pink and green parrot tulip or black orchid or blue passionflower or night blooming jasmine!

I realize that flower arranging can be daunting. Here’s what I would do… Go to flower school. It’s important to know the basics and the tools of the trade…floral frogs, oasis etc. There are a lot of secrets to a good arrangement. If you are not confident in your flower arranging, flower school will teach you about texture, scale, asymmetry, depth, color combinations etc. (In terms of color combinations, it’s always best to let Mother Nature be your guide.) After that, you can make your own arrangements. Did you know that Carolyn Roehm went to flower school in Paris before she wrote her book, A Passion for Flowers? She did. She studied at the renowned florist Moulié Fleurs. However, my advice would be to go to the flower school in Paris of Catherine Muller, the protégé of famed Parisian florist Christian Tortu. If you are in New York, there is the inspiring Little Flower School in Brooklyn.

 

 

After you receive your “degree” from the flower school, my advice on this is to go to your local wholesale flower mart. You’re ready for it now. All big cities have one. My favorite is the New York City Chelsea flower market on West 28^th St. This is the Mecca of flowers. My friend Diandra (and her reluctant driver) and I would go every week and load up on everything from magnolia branches, cherry blossoms, cut flowers, topiaries, succulents, even palm trees. We bought all of the Christmas garland, pine cones and berries there as well. Talk about a visual feast! You need to know how to navigate this place though. There is a great tutorial with tips on how to have a successful day at the New York City Chelsea Flower Market from gardenista.com. You can watch it HERE. In my opinion, the best shop at the Chelsea flower mart is Associated Cut Flower. Watch this little video with Carolyn Roehm at Associated Cut Flower shopping for parrot tulips and David Austin roses HERE. It is like a candy shop!

 

 

If you are not up to all of that, there are brilliant florist that you can visit to find atypical arrangements. In Paris, the most exclusive old-school Parisian “fleuriste” is called Lachaume on rue Faubourg Saint Honoré. Having been in existence since La Belle Epoque of the late 1800s, this is the secretive boutique that writer Marcel Proust would stop by daily to pick up his cattleya flower to decorate his buttonhole. Another favorite of mine in Paris is Odorantes on rue Madame in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. This ain’t your mama’s flower shop. This discreet little shop arranges its flowers by scent and it is nothing but the extraordinary. And of course there is always Dani Roses at my favorite Hotel Costes in Paris. They only sell roses and I am sure the staff spends half of their time wiping smudge marks off their windows from lookie loos like me.

 

 

 

My other favorite florist are Amy Merrick in Brooklyn. Think asymmetrical old Masters. Lewis Miller Designs of New York. Think Vogue and Givenchy. And also, Sarah Winward of Honey of 1000 Flowers. Think organic. And don’t forget my favorite florist in Los Angeles, Eric Butterbaugh. Think sarcastic.

Now, if you’re too lazy to go to flower school, if you’re too lazy to go to the flower mart, and if you’re too lazy to go to a florist there is a solution for you and it’s not a fat farm. Your miracle is called The Bouqs. This is an online sustainable eco-friendly florist. The concept is simple and you can order from the comfort of your tufted sofa with a vodka tonic in your hand. You can also order from the comfort of your hybrid Prius on your cell phone while you are in your kids after school car pickup line because there “is an app for that.” $40 flat fee for a not too shabby bouquet. They cut on the same day you order so the flowers last longer. The best part is that their farms are energy-efficient and offer living wages, health care, child care and adult education.

If you want to see more gorgeous flower arrangements, you can check out my Pinterest board “Fleurs” HERE.

 

That’s it for today. Stay tuned for the next Art of Entertaining. Hint: cluck cluck.