At the Beach

The weather was perfect here last Sunday so Mon Cheri suggested we go shore fishing. Immediately, I grabbed the camera and he carried the bucket and fishing pole as we walked to the beach.

Spending Sundays at the beach, relaxing and not a care in the world, just capturing a few organic shots is always a treat for me

It was high tide, so there was hardly anyone there, just a few hardcore surfers even with the freezing water temperature.








This surfer was reaching for the gliding seagulls

And the highlight of my walks to the beach is when I spot a group of dolphins swimming so close to the shore...always!

Even better than mon cheri looking victorious after catching two perches...he thinks he is a big shot fisherman and now wants to buy a fishing boat...huh?

I know...it looks pretty sad doesn't it? The thing is, mon cheri doesn't even eat fish, but just wants to prove that if ever there is a time (someday) that there is food shortage and all the stores shut down, he can go out there and catch us a fish. I think we should stop watching "Survivor"

By the way, life was so hectic preparing for the magazine shoot last week that I forgot to announce the winner of the "Ramsign" giveaway. Well, a big congrats to dear Ms. Ricki Jill from Art @ Home. Please email me your home address so I can tell the folks at Ramsign to send you your new beautiful European enamel sign. Lucky girl!

Joining a brand new linky party called Good Life Wednesday hosted by the lovely and most talented Sarah from A Beach Cottage.

Flowers and Tea in Marie's Maison

Bonjour mes amis! It was certainly a fun weekend for me. Exhausting and chaotic, but by far one of the most exciting and memorable experience "de ma vie". The photo shoot for the magazine that will feature my home happened last Friday and they left me with these beauties...





But before all that yumminess, my home looked like this during the shoot...MESSY!!!









So what did I do with all those gorgeous flowers they left behind??? I felt inspired! And since my home looked like a flower shop after, I thought tea and flowers, mais oui?















Tea won't be complete without my cupcakes!










By the way, hyacinths are now my latest favorite spring flowers...they are so pretty and smell divine!!!


















Speaking of tea and flowers, as a Christmas present, my daughter treated me to a tea shop that is also a flower shop located in Pasadena, California called Tea Rose Garden. Now this is a business I would love to work for 24/7!

Here we are, mother & daughter...














And what a cute memo board in the flower shop



Hope your weekend was spectacular and wishing you a good start of the week! Once I'm sure when my home will be featured, I will post more stories about this fun, fun day.

Linking this post to:

Martha and Terri's Tea Cup Tuesday

Pam and Wanda Lee's Tea Things Tuesday


Cielo's House in the Roses' Show Off Your Cottage Monday.

Dream Coming True???

Warning: the photo below is not me, but might as well be me. My favorite thing to do after a very long and exhausting day is to curl up in my bed and read. Books are always good of course and I read them...a lot. But magazines, they're different, especially my favorite home and garden magazines. I look forward to them and seriously study all images on each page. Magazines keep me inspired and let me dream of kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, bedrooms, and gardens I aspire to have.

Well, just last week, when I received an email from one of my favorite magazine's editor that read "I'M SENDING MY BEST STYLIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER TO DO A PHOTO SHOOT OF YOUR HOME," I thought it was a dream...(still pinching myself as we speak). But it is true!!! They are coming here...to Marie's Maison to take photos and perhaps may feature it in a future issue of their magazine. Say whhaaattt???




Needless to say, I'm seriously going BONKERS! My nerves are full of excitement, energy and fear that my home will not live up to their expectations. But for now, as this one amazing and dearest editor advised me, relax and just enjoy the process.

Meanwhile, seriously, this is how I feel...



Wish me luck mes amis and I will let you know how it goes and which magazine...au revoir for now.

-Marie

Outdoor Tea Room

Even here in SoCal, nothing much is happening in most gardens during January, and that includes mon petite jardin, it's looking a bit sad. Another thing that is sad is that the closest Armstrong Garden nursery to my house went out of business. It was a huge space and a beautiful nursery once, so I thought wouldn't it be cool to convert that space into an outdoor tea room??? Of course I got inspired, so please join me for my version of an outdoor tea room.

The garden gate entrance

My tea candlelier

I'm thinking of naming my tea room L'oiseau bleu (the blue bird) since I have so many birds in mon petite jardin

This would be my tablescape ala Parisienne

And this would be my "whimsical" tablescape

My outdoor room would have a bird theme (except I haven't figured out the part where, what if they drop poop on the customers?)

While I was taking photos, I noticed this hummingbird so busy going back and forth between my avocado tree and my fountain, so when I caught him using my telephoto lens, I learned that he was building his nest.

Here he is bathing...

We also get lots of house finches

I think the sound of the water coming from the fountain attracts them, so lately mon cheri started putting out bird food. They keep us entertained!

Like I said, nothing much is blooming here now...just a few roses

A few unripe and very green lemons, although my potagerie is looking really sad

Some tiny roma tomatoes

And a late...very late blooming pumpkin. You think it will be ready by Halloween this year?

Lastly, these of course would be my business cards for my tea room.

Linking this post to:

Sarah from Modern Country Style - My English Garden Party