C'est La Rentree!

C'est la RENTRÉE! All the desserts are back in the vitrines to tempt us again. No rest for the weary.

Lots of chocolatey gateaux for Fall.

Fall fruit tartes are taking front row in the windows.

The train stations are full of returning vacationers with their perfect tans.

So sad they've had to give up all that R and R...

And face up to their ABCs. School starts today!

Though it does make you wish you were a kid again.

 The clothes are just gorge for students.

Plenty of appealing cashmeres in the windows too...

But I am not ready for boots yet I can tell you that!

What about all the delish ice creams of Summer?

Isn't this the saddest sight?

At least the bistro dogs are back in town.

Speaking of which, does your pet ask to go to Paris?

We're still painting original watercolors of pets in Paris.

Do contact us (Bear and myself) for more information.

BONNE RENTREE!

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If I Lived in Paris...

 If I lived in Paris I couldn't get a Nathan's Hot Dogs.

 I could get a big bucket of moutarde for a song. But what to put it on?

 No funky little food carts in Paris for a quickie

 You have to go some place like this - Moulin de la Vierge

 And buy something like a palmier for quick bite

 Big-ass smiles are a big non-non in Paris as if you didn't know...

 Only serious-faced multiple drum majorettes beat out Vuitton's tune in Galeries Lafayette vitrine for Christmas

 No pink cap erasers to speak of to fit my beloved Papermate yellow pencils (the French must be for Canada). I wish Staples would open in Paris...

 Pantone Pink Barbie seen at CDG - probably a universal item..

 I wouldn't find any NYC yellow cabs if I lived in Paris...

Do you think La Poste would give me a lift occasionally?

 No chorus lineup of poodles in Paris like in Bergdorf's windows...

 Just Paris dogs, who look you up and down and check out your shoes, bag and scarf.

 Speaking of darling dogs, Biff has made it into the Financial Times' HOW TO SPEND IT (many thanks to author Karen Wheeler). There's a story about Parisbreakfast too btw.

 Lizzie and Charlotte are in Paris now and not minding doing without Nathan's Hot Dogs or pink erasers.

Course French Bear wouldn't mind if I lived in Paris.

Hmmmm I wonder...

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La Cuisine Paris

 When you paint someone's cat in Paris you never know where it will lead...

 What good luck to have painted Canadian food blogger, Mardi of Eat-live-travel-write darling cat, Cleo a few years ago...

 Mardi spends many summers in France and was teaching cooking classes at La Cuisine Paris this year.

 Mardi kindly invited me to attend a recipe testing class making classic French tarte tatin and quiche Lorraine.

Your favorite baking flop

 Was happy to be surrounded

 By far more experienced bakers.

 I volunteered to peel the pommes/apples for the tarte and grate the Gruyere for the quiche.

 Enhale the carmelizing apple slices (my handiwork!).

 Who knew nutmeg/muscade and cayenne were essential ingredients in a quiche Lorraine?

 Mardi successfully turns out the tarte tatin from it's pan - quite an accomplishment.

 The aromas are to-die-for.



And the taste of the quiches - absolutement authentique!



 The following weekend K. at Chateau du Petit Thouars made a perfect quiche Lorraine exactly like Mardi's (which I somehow forgot to shoot. Unforgivable!).

 Today L. emailed me a picture of her gorgeous cat, Corky to send to Paris. At least I can paint cats if not bake...

I'm also now an expert at eating tarte tatin thanks to Mardi and La Cuisine Paris!

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Guerlain - Petite Robe Noire

 This is a much loved Parisian pet. His owner contacted me for a meetup to commission some pet portraits.

 He lives in the 7th arrondissement so naturalment he wanted to be painted by a patisserie.

He eats macarons when no dog biscuits are handy.

 After our photo session we went inside Maison Guerlain.

 The special La Petite Robe Noire exhibition by graphic designers, Kunzel and Deygas was on.

 Have you seen the video for La Petite Robe Noire?

 It's Guerlain's nouveau addition to the perfume collection (formerly only available to private clients). I promise you it's delicious. I loved seeing the designer's work-in-progress sketches.

 If you'd love to have a super GLAM photo portrait of yourself shot in Paris, fabulous fashion photographer, Carla Coulson is now doing private portraits.

 You can see before/afters here thanks to a little help from makeup/hair/lighting artists + Carla's arts.

 Carla is shooting her divine portrait sessions at tres luxe Hotel Lancaster on the Champs-Elysees and around Paris. I peeked in just before my meetup.

 French Girl will go Shanghai for 2 weeks so I'll be Paris house-sitting end of April. I hope to catch a glam photo shoot with Carla (croise les doigts/cross the fingers). If you'd like a glam portrait of your pet painted in Paris email me.

HAPPY HOLIDAY PBERS!

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