more alana davis....

needless to say, I am obsessed with this photograph...I mentioned it here, here and here.  This is my last post, I promise.  I couldn't completely let it go just yet...not without sharing some other dreamy, photographs taken by the lovely alana davis....is it me, or do her grasses seem greener?

crisp, cool, and clean...ahhhhhhhh....xo mrs. french

blissful inspiration...

~lara jade

something so lovely about girls in grass...come see me on sfgirlbybay this morning...xo mrs. french

joie tops...

little tops I have been eyeing...

the last two in particular...all from joie....xo mrs. french

no longer a mystery...

Remember this sofa...

I found it!  Ok actually, I did not find it...lovely janne and dear keviselle found it.

It is from svenkst tenn...one of the most well known design stores in Sweden.  It was started by the legendary designer josef frank in 1924.  Once again, I seem to be the last to know.  Until the pretty sköna hem home I discovered yesterday, I had thought that what I truly wanted was a sofa that was a lovely shade of white (sure...with kids and animals that's perfect!) or a nice neutral tone.  Thanks to my friends all I can think of is images such as these...josef frank designs....

needless to say with the exchange rate and such...these do not fit the french family budget.  However, leave it to Anthropologie...

this little lady is also dressed in josef frank attire and doesn't she look sweet...getting closer...or perhaps a nice neutral....paralyzed with indecision, the story of my life...

xo mrs. french

a few pretty things...

a few pretty things on my mind lately...

*sohomode*

*knack*

*inleaf*

*little brown pen*

*noun*

*blue moss*

*paper schmaper*

just thought you should know...xo mrs. french

I must be Swedish.

According to my parents I am mostly German, some Polish and a smidge of Norwegian...they must be mistaken.  I know there has to be some Swedish in there somewhere.  I am so drawn to Swedish design that it is reflex...I can't seem to pull myself away.  The only explanation would be my heritage...suspicious to say the least...

My jaw hit the floor when I saw this beautiful family home in the always brilliant Sköna Hem...

the white (as always) with the pops of brilliant color is stunning (I am dying for that sofa...where oh where do I find it?)....

and for goodness sake would you look at that perfect nook for coats and shoes!  I can't handle the cleverness!

Anyway, this one went into my "new house" folder in my bookmarks....I love everything about it....I know I must have a distant Swedish relative out there somewhere....

xo mrs. swedish...oh I mean "french"...mrs. french

p.s.

seriously, do you know where to find a sofa like that?

red otter shop and a lovely giveaway

sweet, sweet julia of red otter shop is a sponsor and "friend" of bliss since back in the day....

there is nothing more perfect than finding a blogger in this wide, beautiful world and realizing you adore her and marvel at what she does.  "precious" comes to mind when I look at julia's beautiful journals and notebooks.  The kind that only the most perfect pen should touch and that has its very own spot on the bedside table....

julia is gifted in her paper, ribbon, and string choices....each piece more lovely than the next...I cannot think of a better gift for a special someone, or a gift for yourself...to write your most inspiring words....

ms. julia has a birthday this friday...she wants to celebrate with bliss readers by offering one lucky reader a $10 gift certificate to the red otter shop...I told you she is lovely....just leave a comment below naming your favorite red otter item...you have until Friday morning...so get to it!

thank you ms. julia for your sponsorship, talent and friendship...it is an honor....

xo

mrs. french

I heart Monday.

I hope your weekend was lovely...

I heart this dress.

I heart this mirror.

I heart this scarf (thank you my new friend, Rebecca).

I heart these lovely notes.

I heart these shorts.

I heart this classic.

I heart this necklace (thank you dear Ez).

I heart this pretty, pretty dress.

oh how I heart this chair.

I heart these sandals.

I heart these pjs.

I heart this tee.

I heart these earrings.

I heart these shorts too.

I heart this print.

xo mrs. french

winner....

congratulations dear renee!  you have won!  email me and I will give you the info to claim your lovely gift from stewart + brown...xo mrs. french

dogwood

....and a few dogwood photographs...

...I love spring...

xo mrs. french

magnolias

no matter how many times I see them bloom, I am always amazed by the fluttery beauty of the magnolia each spring...

xo mrs. french

blissful inspiration...

~alana davis

sweet, sweet greens on sfgirlbybay today...see you there lovelies...xo mrs. french

olive & myrtle

I am so proud to introduce this next sponsor.  Olive & Myrtle is a lovely online earth loving boutique.  In their own words: "Olive & Myrtle was founded on the belief that when sustainability and great design are brought together, beautiful things will follow....

sounds pretty fantastic to me.  Often times I find myself finding reasons within myself when purchasing things for my abode...I don't have to think nearly as long in the case of goodies from Olive & Myrtle....

our planet needs all the help it can get...if beautiful design follows so be it...

Olive & Myrtle is the perfect mix of merchandise for your kitchen, bed, bath, babies, gifts, garden and so much more.  Each item complimenting the other....coming together to create a very positive shopping environment....

Thank you Aaron (Olive & Myrtle's amazing founder) for sponsoring my bliss...I stand by what you do whole-heartedly...

xo mrs. french

p.s. 

don't forget the stewart + brown giveaway....yippeeeee!  such a day!

stewart + brown earth day giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Earth Day dear readers.  Stewart + Brown makes my heart beat fast.  I have featured lovely pieces from this lovely line countless times...recently....

the day dress, picnic blouse, 

and lace blanket wrap...

...have been in the spotlight on my bliss.  I cannot think of a better day than this to gush at greater levels.  Stewart + Brown is a label near and dear..not only because of the impeccable,  timeless design, but also due to this little company's ability to remain kind to this fragile planet of ours.  Treehugger actually just named Stewart + Brown "Best Green Casual Brand"...if bliss had awards such as this I would definitely do the same...

so this is where it gets crazy-exciting....one lucky bliss reader will receive a gift certificate for $100 towards Stewart + Brown perfection.  All you have to do is leave a comment below highlighting two of of your favorite Stewart + Brown (toughest part is only picking two) pieces and you will be automatically entered!!!

You have to hurry...I am leaving comments open until tomorrow at 10:00 pm pacific time....

I so wish I could enter my own giveaway....

...to sweeten the deal a bit...you can also enter to win another $100 gift certificate on the Stewart + Brown site by putting your Haiku skills to good use...

this really is just too good...good luck dear ones...

xo mrs. french

p.s. and if you are nice, you will tell your friends too....

a sale at the lovely farmhouse wares...

eeeep!!!  just thought you should know that one of my favorites of all favorites is having a sale.  betsy of farmhouse wares dropped me an email to let me know that from now until April 25th you can get 15% off of an purchase by entering the code "save" upon checkout.  

I can't get enough the "mercury glass hurricanes" and have now found an equal love for the "medina hurricanes" as well...oh and of course the squirrell!!!

thank you betsy...you are just too good to us...

xxoo mrs. french

wai lin tse

A few weeks back I was perusing the lovely and talented lena corwin's blog.  She posted the work of wai lin tse for apartamento magazine.  I was completely smitten, bookmarked it and then let it sit for a bit.  This morning I revisited...

I still love these...but then meandered throught the rest...

the raw, pure, simplicity of each and every photo takes my breath away...

xo mrs. french

I heart Monday.

Goodness!  I almost didn't make it...recovering from a weekend with my girlfriends...the beach, wine, yummy cake, taffy, lots of cheese, a few oysters, laughing hysterically and a bit less sleep than I am used too....oh and such a perfect time...

I heart this sweet little dress.

I heart these sandals.

I heart this box.

I heart this "oma."

I heart these "pantaloons."

I heart these sandals too.

I heart this photograph.

I heart this suitcase.

I heart this top.

I heart this pepper shaker.

I heart these ruffles.

I heart this dress too.

I heart this tray.

I heart this curtain.

xo mrs. french

really just so nice to feel pretty....

A funny thing happened...and it started with this dress...

I got this dress (at the most amazing boutique...so much more about that later), I wore it the other night for a date with mr. french.  I hadn't worn a dress in quite some time (it was cold) and you know what?  I felt pretty.  This simple cotton dress, a pair of tights and some boots, made me feel all feminine and just a bit more attractive.  I have now vowed to wear many more dresses....easy to throw on, girly dresses.  Here are a few...

~heidi merrick

~makool loves you.

~mr. larkin

~built by wendy

~park vogel

~beklina

~stewart+brown

~frances mae (chelsea and alyson introduced me to this gem of a boutique).

~the gap

(I believe that in some of the above cases leggings or jeans may be a nice addition...not quite ready to share that much of my legs just yet)
Actually at this point, I want to wear little else...

xo mrs. french

one of the sweetest most bloggers/artists I know asked me to be a part of her new series...thank you amy.  I had a lovely time...xo t

munted kowhai

I found Tiffany of munted kowhai a few months back...however, it seems as if I have known her forever.  She is a fellow Portlander (which really gives me no excuses as to why we have yet to meet) and she possesses a talent that is like nothing I have ever seen.  Her pieces almost feel too special for this era...

She has managed to conjure up wedding attire fantasies in a woman that has been married for 11 years...I would probably purchase one of her pretty necklaces first and then find a gown special enough to escort it...now that's special...

I see her jewelry as something that could be worn with a gown (wedding or something equally fancy) or with a plain white tshirt and jeans...ok, actually at this point I have talked myself into a necklace...you won't be able to resist either.

Tiffany, thank you so much for sharing space on my bliss...an honor and a pleasure to say the very least...oh and I know we will meet one day...perhaps porque no?

xo mrs. french

psst...so I went over to Tiffany's shop and look what I found!

it's mine!!!  pretty, pretty...maybe she will add a few more to her shop soon...hint, hint...

links:

shop: etsy

blog: munted kowhai

blissful inspiration

~little girl blue

blissful inspiration...sfgirlbybay....please do stop by...

xo mrs. french

Unravelling: ways of seeing myself

let's be clear...I do not get excited about going back to school at all...I have many, many years of education I feel as if I don't use.  However, can I please tell you how giddy I am at this moment!  I just signed up for susannah's e-course and I can barely contain myself.  I missed my chance last go around...but quickly snatched up spot this time...luckily, because it is over half full! 

"The Unravelling: Ways of Seeing My Self  e-course gives you gentle permission to take a couple of hours out of your week just for you.  All you need is a camera and a willingness to play and explore.

Beginning with your feet, you are going to go on a photo safari into your own life to reconnect with who you are, where you've been and where you want to go next.  These definitely won't be self-portraits in the traditional sense-the are personal images that honor you and your world."

I find that through my own photography I can snap away at pretty flowers and landscapes, but fall short when it comes to looking at myself.  Self-portraits are really, really hard for me...the fact that Susannah has started a class to redefine the traditional self-portrait makes it all seem really, really doable...actually I look forward to getting to know myself this way.  Plus the fact that I am taking a course from one of my favorite photographers...too perfect.

oh and if you sign up we would get to be classmates!  How cool would that be?

xo mrs. french

links:

unravelling: ways of seeing myself

testimonials

susannah's amazing photography

a fix.

Since our little getaway to the coast I have been missing it terribly.  I have said it before, the coast is my geographic soulmate.  I feel more at peace and content there than any other place I have every been...

I believe I had seen this "croft" in the North West Highlands a while back, though I can't recall where (if you know, please, please, please let me know so I can credit the blogger)...anyway, I had forgotten about it until today when I was visiting the best slice of home eyecandy I have yet to encounter, inspace (wow jane...what did I do before I had you)...I clicked the link and there it was again...the sea, the quaint cottage and the dreamy interior...just what I needed during my time of withdrawl...

I am happy to report that this weekend I will be getting a brief fix...I am heading out Saturday for one more night at my beloved coast...one of my dear girly friends is having a birthday and we are the lucky ones.  A group of gals spending a night at the coast...yay!

I am working on a wordless post of my last visit with my boys...stay tuned...

xxoo mrs. french

pssst...I found it!  it was the lovely Joanna...that's where I first saw it (thank you jane)!

jackson, johnston & roe.

very pretty clothes....

courtesy of jackson, johnston & roe.....

via inklore

xo mrs. french
p.s. and would you get a look at those shoes....love.

decadent girliness

My family consists of 2 boys and me.  I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.  I confess...I am not a full on girly girl....2 boys and myself works out fine most of the time.  However, for some reason all of the testosterone has gotten to be a lot to handle lately.  I need some frilliness, peachy/pinkness and just full on decadent girliness...I figure if I can start my week dripping in femininity, I would be fully prepared to deal with burps, mountain bike talk, and and dirty fingernails...then I can go back to living my life happily as a girl surrounded by dirty (yet totally adorable) boys...

tap the stars...

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**** (thank you bee)

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****

****

****

****

****

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I feel so much better...xo mrs. french

taeeun yoo and sweet, sweet vana

Upon visiting one of my favorite illustrators (she really is, everthing she does makes me look at childhood in a more magical way), I stumbled upon a new favorite.  I was having a bit of a crabby afternoon...then I became fixated on the work of Taeeun Yoo...this illustration made my heart sing...

Then as luck would have it my dear friend Vana posted an interview I had given on her sweet blog today....any extra chance to see b's wrinkly nose makes everthing a bit happier...thank you vana...I had so much fun...so much for crabby Monday afternoons...

xo

mrs. french

I heart Monday.

So nice to see you today....

I heart this swimsuit.

I heart this family tree.

I heart this necklace.

I heart this dress.

I heart these shoes.

I heart this wallpaper (via the always lovely...paula).

I heart this dress (via my friend, alyson).

I heart these oxfords.

I heart this chair.

I heart this pillow.

I heart this book (it really is beautiful).

I heart these bowls.

I heart these jeans.

I heart this photograph.

I heart this necklace.

happy day friends...xo mrs. french

happy week.

Here are a few things that made me smile this week (actually quite a bit more than a "few")...

This photograph on Suzanne's Shop Talk (technically it was last week but I was out of town),

seeing b's sweet toes on melissa's perfect page (one of my favorite friends), 

sharing the excitement of a new bicycle with joslyn, 

being asked to participate in such an amazing event (and "chatting" with many, many, friends),

vana's pretty, new wrapping endeavors, 

bee's ability to pick an outfit that I didn't know I needed, until she showed me the way, 

seeing Paris through the lens of another favorite, 

this top...oh my this top...thank you carolynn and nell, 

Barb's flipping perfect chair, 

the perfect striped shirt...(Michelle you found it),

learning to love a new culture through the eyes of a dear friend, 

a mention by a friend that I admire in so many ways....

a pretty good week...don't you think?

xo mrs. french

twig is two.

eeep!!!  I am so excited!!! twig is 2 years old....and do you know how ms. elizabeth is celebrating?  she is having a tremendous sale...30% off site wide, with the exception of sale clothing!!!  Just enter the code "TWO_YEARS".  Go now and pick up a pair of chies for me...xo mrs. french

pssst...sale ends April 13..

blissful inspiration at sfgirlbybay...

~Letizia Gilioli

My blissful inspiration post today on sfgirlbybay is all about the bicycle....see you there!!!

xo mrs. french

Shop Live on Etsy and a little something extra!

This is really so exciting.  The lovely Marichelle of hearthandmade is hosting the next Shop Live event on etsy.  She really does an excellent job of explaining what it is all about...so you should really head over to her post to check it out!  

I am so, so honored to be one of the 30 artists featured.  My "where ribbons come from..." photograph is the piece Marichelle chose to feature.  It will be 20% off and shipped free for the Shop Live event.  In honor of this lovely occasion I am hosting an all-day sale in my etsy shop (8am-midnight eastern).  My first sale!!!  20% off of all prints.  Just enter the code "shopliveHH" in the comments section of your blissful image purchase and I will promptly refund you the 20% off of your purchase!!!

beach polaroids

We had the most wonderful time at the beach!  The beach, to me, is a worry eraser.  All seems right in the world at the beach.  I am so happy that my B loves it too...he ran and ran through the sand each day we were there...crashing from exhaustion at the end of the day.  All the way bacl to Portland he repeated "I love the beach..." over and over again...

I took hundreds upon hundreds of photos, I have yet to go through most of them.  Thank goodness for the instant gratification polaroid provides...

thank you for sharing a bit of the beach with us today...once I get through the rest I will post them too...xo mrs. french

a beautiful portland collaboration...

I have been absolutely dying over the teasers for this little photo shoot...I had to share...

I first caught wind of this loveliness on chelsea's beautiful blog and then stopped by elizabeth's for more.  

I am constantly amazed by the talent in my small city.  The collaboration of these Portland women is perfection....stunning.  The dresses are by elizbeth dye, the styling by chelsea fuss, the accessories by myra of twigs and honey and the genius behind the lens is lisa waringer.  I can't take my eyes off of them...sigh...xo mrs. french

how nice...

I am always tickled when I find pretty things in unexpected places....

these are a perfect example of just that...converse!  I go to the site to find tennies and stumble upon the John Varvatos collection...how nice...

xo mrs. french

I heart Tuesday.

eeeeeeee....it's beautiful in Portland, I am still basking in the loveliness of my beach and overall, I am just so darn happy....I missed you!  Happy "I heart Tuesday..." my friends...

I heart these boots so much I can barely stand it.

I heart this dress.

I heart these birds (thank you danni).

I heart this photograph.

I heart this "weekend bag."

I heart these sneakers.

I heart this bag (thank you emiko).

I heart these bikes.

I heart this jumper.

I heart this pillow.

I heart this basket.

I heart this top.

I heart this tray.

oh goodness, do I ever heart this skirt (and this bike and these socks).

xo mrs. french

One more day...see you tomorrow...xo mrs. french

going to the beach....

hello dear friends...the Frenches are off...we are going to the beach!  I will see you on Monday with a spanking new list..perhaps just a bit later than usual...I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

xo mrs. french

pretty totes

These bags are so pretty I can barely stand it...simple, crisp, springy and lovely...

~jill bent: a private collection

~inklore

...and gone...maybe jill and sam could be persuaded to put some new pretty totes in their stores?...xo mrs. french

blissful inspiration...

I'm at sfgirlbybay...the best place to spend a Thursday morning...join me!

****

xo mrs. french

another house that has been on my mind lately...

My sister and I used to spend hours upon hours playing with our dollhouses until we were probably too old to be doing so...which is why I was so completely delighted by what I found on rusted mustard the other day...

Heather Benning, a canadian artist, created a life-size dollhouse in a Saskatchewan field...with a plexi-glass back and 60's furniture to boot...this home was abandoned in the 60's.  There is something so endearing about furnishings to honor the time it had been in its glory and viewing the passage of time from the front of the home.  I am so happy Ms. Benning had a thing for dollhouses too...

I found a few extra images I found on flickr...

Thank you Jenny for taking me back to a truly wonderful time in this gal's life...xo mrs. french

blissful residence take II

ok, I have to admit it felt pretty good to share yesterday...I am going to put a few more snippets out there (because I am completely preoccupied by this)...and then I am done for a bit.  

we are not as close as I would like to be at this very moment, but for some reason I feel as if we may have found ourselves the home B will grow up in...I guess you could say I am a bit attached...

xo mrs. french