Oh Serge, you've done it again!

image; www.sergebloch.net/blog

I've blogged about my love for the supremely talented French illustrator Serge Bloch here and here and now take a peek at what he's created for Time Magazine. I love Monsieur Bloch's outlook on life; his 'simplicity' says so much. Always.

Ramblings of a Lapsed Cmas Card Writer featuring Raven & Lamb

I've actually allowed my head to start thinking of the holiday season...Christmas to be more precise. I know, I'm in shock as well, I actually have room in my brain to consider the occasion and how I'm going to spend it and with whom....and that very important detail to the interior-decorating wannabe like my good-self...how I'll style up Chez La Femme!

When I was a people-pleaser of the worst kind (forgotten yourself in the process kind, that is), Christmas for me was all about Christmas cards. I'd spend hours writing cards with enormous, personalised messages on each ensuring they were posted by the self imposed December deadline. I still love them, I love receiving them, but no longer have the time or the real desire to send them. That phase is officially over. These days I reach out during the year to my people and catch them up on my life...and what a debarcle it is! However, if I was the Christmas card writing person I once was, I'd be using these beauties from Raven and Lamb. I love what this team do.

Balmain 'Evasion'

image; michelle belle for galerie montmartre

The Balmain Art Fair is finished for another year, lots of happy people taking home lots of beautiful art for their walls.

This little guy got alot of attention this weekend. A beautiful 1960's poster, typically cheeky and kitsch. The play on words between French and English had me smiling - majority of people read the words 'Tele-Evasion', used their knowledge of English to think that the French were speaking of the 'invasion' of TV or the way technology 'evades' our life. When the French adjective 'Evasion' is to 'escape'...so close, yet so far! And there endeth today's French lesson!!

Nevertheless, I've loved my little 'Evasion' to Balmain this weekend - no better way to work and play than in a lovely urban port-side hub. Hit the road back to Melbourne very soon. x

La Femme Hits the Road...

image; www.willowfrank.com

...all the way to beautiful Balmain (for my American beauties, that's a 10 hour drive to the next State) for their annual Arts and Craft Show.

Sure, not exactly road tripping in the style shown here by Hilary Walker. In fact, I hired a car that is quite literally bigger than the inner city cottage I live in - yes, exaggeration, you should know I'm prone to them by now. Trust me, it's a big car though and I made it! I always feel a sense of achievement as I pull up to a destination after an all day drive, everything in tact, vintage posters ready to be shown to a new audience who will all say similar things - "Oh my God, these are beautiful!" - "but they look too new to be vintage" - "so where do you source them?" - "how many were printed?"- "how do I choose from all these?" - "do you have a website?" - "how did you get started?" I'll smile and happily answer every question and introduce a new group of devotees to this fascinating medium. Lots of fun!

Hope to see you here, if you are Sydneysider;

The Balmain Arts & Craft Show

2 Eaton St.

Balmain, NSW.

Sat Nov 5th; 9 - 5pm

Sun Nov 6th; 10 - 4pm.

Et Le Champion Est...

Loterie Nationale Tranche Speciale, 1937, Derouet

image; galerie montmartre

I think I may be the only Melbournian...or one of the very few...who doesn't really care for the major Australian horse racing event, The Melbourne Cup. Don't get me wrong, the chance to dress up and drink champagne all day is definitely appealing, but unless I can do it in true style (that is a corporate marquee) then I'd rather do something else....and yes, I am that shallow! Nope, this girl was at the movies (watching Woody Allen's 'Paris at Midnight', of course!) as the 'race that stops a nation' was run. How ironic then to hear that the winning horse, Dunaden, was French trained and the jockey's name was Christophe Lemaire. Felicitations!