Paris Parfait

The seven-year itch

Prayers and offerings, Swayambhunath Temple, Kathmandu, Nepal. Click photo to view detail.

No, it's not what you think. Today I'm celebrating seven years of blogging: 2,365 posts! That's a lot of words and images. Along the way I've made some wonderful friends. Blogging also reignited my work as a photographer, after years of focusing solely on writing.

Blogging has changed tremendously in the seven years since I began Paris Parfait. Within the past couple of years, I've noticed more and more "copycat" or sponsored articles and less original content - which defeats the whole purpose of blogging, in my view.

I am a rebel: I don't want to follow trends; host gimmicky giveaways or publish someone else's articles promoting a product or event. To me, that's advertising. And the only ads you'll see on my blog are restricted to the sidebar. Those few ads bring in just about enough revenue to cover annual blog-hosting fees.

Readers may come and go, but this space will remain my original work (with the rare exception, i.e. the photo above). I'll continue to tell stories, whether through words, images or both. I'll keep writing about people, places and things that interest me. I'll continue to post my own photographs and voice my opinions on issues that matter.

I'll continue to welcome your comments, exchanges of ideas and constructive criticism. But I won't try to be something I'm not, no matter how an increasingly profit-driven blogosphere may evolve. I believe that in the long run, individuality, creativity and critical thinking always triumph over flash-in-a-pan fads.

Thank you for your loyal readership and support these past seven years. You've made such a positive impact on my life, for which I will be forever grateful. I hope you'll continue to be entertained, informed and/or challenged when visiting here.

 

Icons

Images of iconic musicians painted on a doorway in Kathmandu, Nepal.

 

 

If you're interested in American history or photography, you probably are aware of Edward S. Curtis's astonishing images of Native American tribes. His compelling photographic odyssey captured a rapidly-vanishing way of life for Indian tribes in the late 19th and early 20th-centuries. Many Indians referred to Curtis (1868 - 1952) as "the Shadow Catcher."

His vast body of work was lauded by President Teddy Roosevelt and financially supported by JP Morgan. Curtis's photographs are enshrined in the Library of Congress archives, as well as the Smithsonian and other museums, universities and private collections around the world. More than 60 years after his death, Edward Curtis's remarkable photographs continue to educate and enthrall.

Recently, I had the pleasure to become accquainted with James, author of the delightful blog The Cavender Diary. We share an enthusiasm for Edward Curtis's photographs. When James found out an Edward Curtis self-portrait was up for grabs, the quest was on... Read more at The Cavender Diary about how you, too can own an Edward Curtis photograph. And check out James and Jamie's stylish home!

You also may enjoy reading Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan.

P.S. Have you seen the fascinating documentary Five Broken Cameras? It's nominated for an Oscar and if you want to know more about the Palesinian-Israeli confict from the perspective of both sides (it's an Israeli/Palestinian co-production) Five Broken Cameras is enlightening.

Collected.

"...the home should be a collected assemblage of treasures meaningful to the homeowner. ...better to have an empty room than an instant room. Forgo the immediate and embrace the lasting." - Darryl Carter, author of The Collected Home.



That being said, for the past two years I've been on a mission to cull my collections - amassed mostly during my travels abroad and while living in Paris - and keeping only sentimental and favourite things. Our house is three floors, but like most Dutch canal houses, it's not very wide and stairwells take up considerable space.



More pictures of areas of our eclectic salon/living/dining room. Our home really isn't decorated in a formal sense; I've simply arranged and displayed collections.



"An environment should reflect the homeowner and not the hand of a designer." - Darryl Carter.



Minimalism just doesn't work for me. I've found too many treasures!



Thank you for the good wishes for my husband, who quite unexpectedly needed surgery this week. Thankfully, he is recuperating and feeling better.

Blanc de blanc

Snow continues to cover the garden, rowboat and "our" canal.

Here in the Netherlands, we've had more than two weeks of blanc neige, with no sign of melting or higher temps. More snow is predicted this week! Luckily I have good snowboots, as I've been trudging along bike paths (most sidewalks remain covered with snow) to the hospital and back. For the past week my husband has been ill; Tuesday afternoon he had surgery. Thankfully, he appears to be on the mend.

Walking home tonight, I saw a guy riding a bicycle on the frozen canal!

Parakeets in the snow

An escaped parakeet or parrot from South America on the cherry tree in our garden. Many, many such parrots can be seen in and around Amsterdam. When we lived in Paris, we often saw parrots in the Bois du Boulogne. They have learned to adapt to colder climes.

Click photos to view detail.



Taking flight.

Taking advantage of the bird feeder.

Snowfall began late last night and hasn't stopped.

Two parakeets in a weeping willow tree.

The path in our garden leading to the deck and the canal.

The frozen canal and rowboat, covered with snow.

Bike paths have been cleared with snow plows and most trains are running. How's the weather in your corner of the world?

Cabinet de curiosités

Antique French and Spanish Madonna crowns and tiny Louis Phillipe scales for measuring gold are among the ever-evolving collectibles in my Napoleon III cabinet de curiosités. I'm lucky to have seven bound Arts & Crafts volumes of The Studio, featuring Aubrey Beardsley illustrations. Click photo to view detail.

Sneak peek

Part of our salon/dining area - blending modern design classics with antique and vintage treasures - at our canal house in the Netherlands. Click images to enlarge. Stay tuned for more glimpses of our home, coming soon.




Details, details! Early 19th-century child's mannequin pinned with antique French and Italian prayer ornaments and milagros; Napoleon III glass-fronted cabinet de curiosités; Carl Hansen CH25 chair; Isamu Noguchi coffee table; Beni Ourain vintage Berber rug adorned with "magical" talismans; vintage Moroccan sequinned wedding blanket; custom-made sofa and hand-embroidered cushions from Jordan. Spanish wrought iron candlelabra, made into a lamp; 1940s French office cabinet; custom-made bookcase; dining table and chairs from Bali, via London and Tolix chairs (set of 6) marked VA (Villa Autun, the private residence of the French family who created Tolix chairs).

Crystal and beaded pendant lights from Italy; antique French and Dutch baskets; French pottery/water jugs from a vineyard in Bourgogne; framed Lehnert & Landrock photograph of a bookseller in Cairo and antique Spanish lithographs and azuelos from Sevilla. Mirrors from Spain and Jordan; sculpture from Sevilla: an ode to Velasquez's portraits; British cannonballs; iron rattes from a Bourgogne wine cellar; hand-turned wood pieces from Devon, England and San Francisco and French and American wooden pins.



Mirror image - French mercury glass giltwood mirror circa 1830.

Cultivating curiosity

Handpainted wooden clogs planted with herbs and flowers, Marken, the Netherlands.


“Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.”  - Robert Louis Stevenson

Hello! Am busy juggling curiosities and deadlines, but will be back soon with a proper post. Hope your new year is off to a promising start!

Purple orchids on our dining table. Click photo to enlarge.

Gelukkig nieuwjaar! Bonne année! Feliz año nuevo!

The secrets of 2013 are waiting to be unlocked. Exterior gate, la Catedral de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain.

 

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” – Edith Lovejoy Pierce