Tag Archives: robin’s egg

La Poste: Colorless, cooling seaside white

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There is white hot, which is what we're feeling outdoors these days, then there is white cool. Think of whitewashed houses you imagine perched on cliffs above the Mediterranean or Aegean.
Is there anything that offers a better retreat from the sweltering summer than fresh linens, a white stone floor and a few good books ...
Or a shower with marble cool beneath your bare feet and water running between your toes?
On their sun-bleached private jetty along the Amalfi Coast, guests at a Sorrento hotel find restful splashes of blue.
On a tiny Greek isle, this cool and inviting entryway leads into a vacation villa, that happens to be for rent.
The cloud blue bath, left, must feel like an airy grotto. At right, a breezy passageway joins the villa to its neighbor.
The villa's white stone and stucco kitchen is set off by robin's egg green. A kitchen like this is the right place to prepare icy salads and chilled seafood.
An old-world chandelier lends a crystal sparkle to suppers at the villa's hand-hewn dining table.
à bientôt...Tatie
La Poste is an occasional feature where I share the best of what I find in my inbox or on blogs about pretty things and places. These images are courtesy of my old favorite newsletter, Remodelista Daily. Hope you've enjoyed them as much as I have.

La Poste: Time to get fresh

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Eggs as seed planters Here we are again, yearning  for spring and finding glints of light and life amid the rich brown of sleeping earth. Like eggshells as fresh-looking seed starter pots. Remodelista included some rich, sleepy browns in its 28 February files, in a couple of totally unrelated items.
  Aged tin ceiling tiles grow fresh against a clean white wall The brown of the ancient pressed tin fleur de lys ceiling tiles grow fresh, sitting above washed white tile walls, at Iris Café in Brooklyn Heights.
  Fresh restored bricks stand up to the baroque detail of old frames I find restored bricks and brick walls to have a clean, fresh feel. The wall above, also at Iris Café, stands up well to the baroque detailing of old picture frames.
  Seed frames amid stones and bricks of a Victorian yard Meanwhile, back outside, the bricks and stones of a Victorian yard in Cornwall, England are made fresh by white cold frames sporting tender sprouts. Speaking of sprouts, stay tuned. Something fresh and fancy coming soon! à bientôt...Tatie

(La Poste is a frequent feature where I share some little bit of design or creativity found in my email inbox.)     

Pink and green: a marriage made in ... Paris

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How special to find the interplay of favorite pastel colors captured on the blog, French Beauty Mark. Note the boxes, in palest green above and shell pink below. (A little personal tribute to my Alpha Kappa Alpha friends, my sisters under the skin!)
These delicious little containers are from Ladurée, a pair of pastry shops/tea rooms (salons de thé) on both sides of the Seine, in Paris. I'm especially fond of the rue Bonaparte location, below. (I described the exterior in an earlier post as robin's egg green!)
I have quite the little collection of Ladurée boxes myself, filled with memories of the incredible macarons they once held. (The green one in the back is a little faded -- it normally holds earrings.)
While pink and green are on my mind, I must share a serendipitous find. The Art Deco fan vases below did not come as a set -- I've had the green one several years, so imagine how thrilled I was last weekend to find the pink one! Also in the tableau: a doll size hobnail beverage set and a very vintage bride's maid, part of a complete little bridal party.
I don't know about you, but certain color combinations speak to my sensibilities. Not eye candy exactly (see below) but a visual treat you can almost taste.
à bientôt...Tatie - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

La Poste: Minimal, neutral and hints of pastel

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home in new york city: open hallway Peep down this open hallway and into a renovated Soho loft, where modern hosts just a bit of traditional, courtesy of Remodelista Daily. Minimal and neutral, this is a fine, clean look and feel. Plus, there is something so comfortable about a hallway where one can sit and relax. Soho loft living room Love the living room like I do: for its comforting neutrals and just a tiny touch of shell pink on the mantle and in the upholstery of the chair. pink booties on mantle The pink warms the room just enough. The array on the mantle includes a pair of handmade baby booties, left. pine mirrors Don't pass up the dressing area, where these stately but welcoming white-washed mirrors and table live. linen armoir from les puces The linen cabinet, from les puces de Paris, is awe-inspiring, and don't miss the tiny little bit of robin's egg blue peeking out. You'll also find it in the drapery, reflected by the mirrors, above.

à bientôt...Tatie

La Poste is an occasional feature of Atelier Chéri where I share a particularly good blog post or newsletter item from my email inbox.

Fill an Easter basket at Cottontail Cheri

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Papier mache robin's egg candy box with artisanal details Being German-American, I have a special affection for the holiday traditions from the homeland of my ancestors. Each year, I have a lot of fun applying my own creative touch to traditional German Easter treasures. This year, I have created Cottontail Cheri, an Easter market like those held in Germany. (Sadly, much of last year's collection was destroyed in the flood.) I particularly enjoy decorating papier mâché eggs my own way, like the one above. I started with a robin's egg treatment and added a curious medallion made of old German type and plaid paper rope (untwisted), centered by a tiny bunny. Martha Stewart's coffee bean-edged pink ribbon finishes it off. Papier mache Easter egg candy box covered with Florentine paper, blue metallic German Dresden trim. I really heart Florentine designer paper, and it looks just stunning on a papier mâché egg. Add Dresden foil trim, and you have a family heirloom. By the way, that fellow who's helping me show off my Easter eggs is a little replica of a longtime Reuther family heirloom, Bummy Rabbit, a wrought iron rabbit that my grandmother, Mammy, had in her yard when I was a little girl. The full-sized Bummy now sits in my patio garden, a proud survivor of last year's flood. Papier mache Easter egg candy box, bronze with paper medallion Here's the German script medallion again, this time with pleated Florentine paper, on a bronze painted papier mâché Easter egg. Scalloped green Dresden trim is the finishing touch. These eggs make the best candy boxes, to hold little treats and nestle in an Easter basket. Papier mache egg candy box with German diecut decoupage If you've followed this blog, you know what a fan I am of D. Blumchen & Co., where they specialize in imported German craft and holiday specialties. That's where I got my papier mâché eggs and German die-cut scrap, like the bunny on the egg above. I used a dimensional découpage technique to apply the little fellow to this robin's egg painted candy box, which is a little smaller than those above. The tall bunny showing off this egg is destined to become a family heirloom.   Papier mache Easter egg candy box with Florentine paper, small Again, beautiful Florentine designer paper, on a smaller papier mâché egg, finished with Dresden trim. Papier mache Easter egg candy box with elegant medallion, small The smaller bronze egg here has a German text medallion with pleated Florentine paper, this time centered by a prim little paper rose. I do hope you'll visit my Cottontail Chéri Easter market and make one of these creations an heirloom for your own family. Each item in the market includes a link to Etsy, where I am selling this collection. And stay tuned to Atelier Chéri, where I'll be telling you about some of the other Easter treasures at Cottontail Chéri. à bientôt...Tatie

With Marie on my mind

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Trianon cheri

Trianon cheri

The story of Marie Antoinette – her world, her demise – fascinated me early on, as I studied French in high school. It was seminal in my lifelong affection for French culture and civilization. All things Marie Antoinette have captivated creative imaginations lately. Take a look at the recent Somerset/Stampington publication, Marie. I adore the way so many artisans have picked up on the robin’s egg and pale pink of the era.
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We French hand-sewing enthusiasts would call the warm pale blue and pink of the trianon "Giger" pink and blue, after goods made by an old manufacturer of Swiss batiste.

Anyway, looking through Marie, I was inspired to create my Trianon chéri. The original Petit Trianon on the grounds of Versailles is especially fetching.

I began with a papier mâché house box, which I painted with a simple robin’s egg acrylic color, then spattered with brown. For the roof, I started with a base of flat chocolate brown acrylic. Once dry, I applied Tim Holtz’s Crackle Paint in Tattered Rose, which makes me very happy. 
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Torn pieces of Martha Stewart's Flourish paper in palest pink, the edges aged with distressing ink, give a hint of exposed brick or stone.

As a reference to exposed brick or stone, I applied torn pieces of Martha Stewart’s Flourish paper in palest pink. Edges of the paper were aged with Tim Holtz’s Distress Inkpad in Tea Dye.

Next came stamped images in brown from various sources, including the popular Paris set from Cavallini. It’s a lot of fun using an unexpected image as an architectural element. Particularly whimsical is my treatment of the back of the trianon. I really enjoy working with these houses because the back gives you a full surface, a kind of stage if you have a narrative. The couture fashion show is my favorite narrative, and for this one, I used stamps, including one from the incomparable Sandra Evertson. Then, I took some old pink and cream plaid twisted paper rope (wish I still had a source for this stuff) and fashioned a skirt, edged with scalloping scissors, and gathered and wrapped with a piece of Martha Stewart’s wonderful coffee bean-edged pink ribbon.
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Wish I could find more of the old cream-and-pink plaid twisted paper rope I used for my mannequin's skirt.

Finishing touch was the tiny paper roses at the front windows. I applied a couple on the side of the house with their wire stems, which gave the look of wild roses climbing up the side of the house. The foliage is model train moss. (I’d like to hear other ideas for foliage – not thrilled with the moss.) It’s only natural that my first collage house would be a trianon and that it would carry so many Marie Antoinette nuances. I’m thinking my next inspiration will draw from Provence or the European garden folies – or maybe a little of both. À bientôt…Tatie

Lambie Pie

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Lambie Pie, from a 1938 pattern

Lambie Pie, from a 1938 pattern

This snuggly little fellow, from a 1938 pattern, was created from a wonderful old piece of robin's egg felted wool that I found at Baer's fabric store during a visit to Louisville. Sadly, Baer's closed last year, and I got by there on one of the last days. It was one of those grand old downtown stores that sold "piece goods" -- they grow scarcer every day. I bought the bolt that produced Lambie Pie. Add a little chocolate brown felt and a few stitches of hand embroidery, and voila! A first toy for my godson, Hank.   
Lambie Pie's little bell is securely attached to a brown rayon ribbon, from Martha Stewart crafts.

Lambie Pie's little bell is securely attached to a brown rayon ribbon, from Martha Stewart crafts.

  I collect original old patterns (I'll be sharing my creations from them here), but I have been known to acquire a good copy, including the one for Lambie Pie. It came from MJ's Vintage Patterns  on eBay -- well worth a visit. MJ's patterns come come complete with a color copy of the front cover (below).  
From the original Lambie Pie pattern, available through MJ's Vintage Patterns on eBay

From the original Lambie Pie pattern, available through MJ's Vintage Patterns on eBay

If you'd like to purchase a piece of the felted wool I used for my Lambie Pie, please contact me at ateliercheri@gmail.com. A bientot!...Tatie