Having a Paris Tea

Harney & Son's has some of my favourite teas and when I found out they released a tea called Paris, I just had to have it!

It is described as "a delicious blend reminiscent of the city of lights, Paris."

It's flavour is fruity, a bit of art vanilla with a hint of lemony bergamot.

I took the teabags out and put mini roses in the tea tin.

My husband and I had a wonderful time in the city on Saturday. He had to work, so I walked over to State Street and did a little shopping.

My first stop, as I always go to when I'm in the city was Mertz Apothecary.

I bought some French violet pastilles, which are candy mints that are violet flavoured. They also had rose ones; I want to try those.

For dinner, we went to La Creperie. So delicious! I made sure I hit gym on Sunday because I ate both savory AND a dessert (Nutella) crepes! If you are ever in Lincoln Park, definitely go eat there! La Creperie has great French ambiance, excellent food and wine. In the summer you can dine outside in their little courtyard.

I am still working on making over the livingroom. I got my slipcovers in last week. I went with cream drop cloth style ones. Here is a peek at my new pillows I also got in. I love the French script on them.

My son is on spring break this week, but it is still so cold!

Hopefully it will warm up and we can take some walks to the park.

Daffodils

This weekend I treated myself to four bunches of sunny daffodils.

Normally, I am not a fan of yellow flowers, but daffodils are at a great price right now. I have been lusting after those French enamel body pitchers, but they are really expensive. I decided to get creative and remove the top of a vintage enamelware kettle to try and give it that French pitcher look. I got this one at the flea market for a few dollars, so it was no big deal for me to alter it.

My little sweets said she would be a model for me today, but that lasted all of about 5 minutes. She has a cold right now.. sniffling and sneezing.

I am slowly working on my white and creams living room and I am hoping to finish up sometime this spring and share it. I am warming my husband up to the "need" for white slipcovers. He thinks I'm a little ridiculous for wanting them. Sometimes it takes a lot of tugging for men to see our vision sometimes, right? We woke up to morning frost, but the sun is out and hopefully things will start warming up more this week.

♥ ♥ ♥

Lara

Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

Today I made Martha Stewart's strawberry cupcakes from her cupcake book.

Fresh strawberries are used in both the batter and the meringue buttercream frosting. Decadent!

Please enjoy some photos, but please excuse my horrible frosting job. I am new to piping and am still in practice mode. A large, open star tip would've been a lot nicer for these.

This is a labor intensive recipe, but the scrumptious sweet strawberry taste sure is worth it! They would be so nice for a special occasion. I made these with a hand-held mixer. I probably wouldn't make these again until I get a stand mixer.

It is chilly here in the Chicago suburbs. March is always still cold here. The past couple days I have seen robin birds bobbing by, so winter is out of here soon, thank goodness. I am so eager and filled with anticipation for springtime!

Belle Blanc

It took a little over two weeks to ship, but my Belle Blanc book is here! Words can not express how giddy with pure happiness I was when I opened my door to find this dropped off at my doorstep. This is the most beautiful book I have ever seen - there are just no words.. it just truly takes my breath away. This is the perfect book to snuggle up with in bed on a rainy day or for a quick dose of white inspiration before you head out the door to the flea market or garden center.

The book is authored and photographed by two of my favorite blogs - Belle Blanc and White Living. Thank you for creating such an incredible book Mira and Bianca! I adore it with all my heart. The photos are very beautiful. I can't read the German yet, but I plan to translate it soon.

Last weekend, I spent some time at the antique shop and I saw this wonderful shabby chair. Lucky me, it was still there just waiting for me to take home. It was on sale for $19 plus take an additional 20% off that price.

My white hyacinths have blossomed this weekend. I am enjoying their delicate perfume.