Adventures with French Food, a Picture Book

Tadpole's yoghurt. In glass jars. I very nearly smuggled the empty jars back to Australia!

One of the best things about France is the food. Obviously. It can also be one of the worst, funniest, weird and amazing things about France.

Let me show you just a few things I encountered on our recent trip to our other "home".

First, we arrived just in time for Xmas which is celebrated on Xmas eve, with lots of food and wine, until midnight when you open your gifts.
Among other things, we had:

Oysters, almost the size of my hand.

Snail like creatures from the ocean...

Yep, I had one. Not bad really.

And then, after numerous other canapes...

The cheese platter, made fancy with figs and walnuts

And lastly,

Dessert, why just have one choice?

My mother in law decided that New Years should be a simpler affair,so she headed to Picard, a store that sells pre-prepared, frozen food, but not as we know it.

A few canapes to start...

All ready made, from the store.

And then just for me, because I once had them at my local bar and thought they weren't bad, they gave me these...

Snails, in all their garlic butter glory, from the freezer to the oven.

For your viewing pleasure. You're welcome.

 We had a few other pre -made and quite lovely canapes, then pulled out dessert, also from Picard.

Eclair anyone...?

Oh, and these...

Because one is not enough.

After New Years, we headed to Marseille, stopping on the way in Lyon, the Food Capital of the food capital. We arrived late but in need of dinner, so my in laws went out for a walk to the local Carrefour (the biggest supermarket I've ever seen) to bring back a microwave meal or some thing.
We expected a microwave meal each, and prayed for wine.

We got this:

A moveable feast.

They came back to the tiny hotel room with bread, saucisson (which my father in law had to hack at with the cheap hotel knives), crackers (for Mr Frog, trying not to eat too much bread) sliced meats, numerous fresh/frozen meals (some of the best I've ever tasted), cheese and a demi bottle of wine.

 This turned out to be one of my favourite meals.

A half bottle of wine, just enough for the pisshead Aussies, and lovely.

Miniature cheese - a single serve on the left, and the tube on the right held about five of the little cheeses in front. And they were YUM!

We only had time for one good meal in Lyon, and we weren't dissapointed.

Entree... "French" onion soup and some fabulous salad I can't remember. The lovely staff got sme fries for Tadpole from the restaurant across the lane.

We stayed in a lovely apartement in Marseille, not far from anything, close to the beach and a short car ride to my brother and sister in laws place.

While peaking through the cupboards, I found this:

250ml of dry white wine, especially for cooking, in a tetra pack. GENIUS!

We happened to be in France in time for Epiphany, also known as Galette Season. A frangipane tart that is traditonally baked with a porcelain favour inside. Whoever finds it in their slice is crowned (literally with a paper crown) the king or queen. De-lish, and fun.

Galette in Marseille. My mother in law was queen, this time.

 My brother and sister in laws treated us to an amazing meal at their place.

Fresh Foie Gras, forget how it's made, it was divine, and so was the very sweet wine that went with it. (Very similar to Noble One)

Homemade lasagne, done the right way, cooked for hours and served with good bread and salad.

Dessert. My brother in law made me a little one, knowing I'm not big on dessert.

 And then with tea or coffee after dinner, these little bikkies, very similar to biscotti.

I ate A LOT of these.

Yep, we were spoiled!

We somehow managed a night out on our own. Mr frog and his Clochette out for dinner. Crazy. I'd had my heart set on having a Bouillabaisse in Marseille, but it turns out that not only are they expensive (50 euros), they're massive.
I, am not. So, I had fish soup instead, and not only was it delicious, but it came out like this:

Make your own soup, adding all the ingredints to taste.

Our next stop was the mountains. Merlette to be exact. Unforunately I didn't get any decent pictures of the beautiful Fondue,or the adorable restaurant we had it in, but I did get a shot of this:

Me and Tadpole enjoying a Vin Chaud (mulled wine) and a rusk on top of the mountain.

Now let's talk about tea. Actually, let's start with the coffee in France. It's bad. Really bad. I don't know how they can stuff it up so badly being so close to Italy, but there you go. So, I drank alot of tea instead.No probs there... unless you ask for milk, which sometimes results in this:

In lieu of tiny UHT milk containers, they gave me hot milk to put my tea bag in. Seriously.

Also, some people like to drink their tea or coffee in a bowl, of which their were many in our mountain chalet.

Giving it a go, French Style.

On our last night in the mountains, the rest of the family went out for fondue, and we stayed in. With Tadpole in bed,I made us this very basic meal. Potatoes and frankfurts. Mr Frog would never eat frankfurts here, but in France he makes an exception. And those little potato cubes are straight from the freezer, and something Mr Frog misses. Weirdo.

You can even buy pre diced potatoes.

One last thing from our mountain adventures...

A little something to warm you up...

Oh, and this.

My first snow man.

On the way back to Paris, I needed a little snack. Mr Frog got me these. They were good.

I really just love the packet!

When we got back to Paris, the grandparents went off to a party for a couple of nights, so we invited our friends over for dinner. The meal was a disaster. (Don't try cooking a casserole you usually make in the oven on the stove,in a kitchen that's not yours, with meat of poor quality). However, the company and the drinks were not.

A bottle of Champagne, complete with fancy seal.

Cosmopolitans made is an empty "Pollen" jar. Yes, Pollen.

The following day, after a slight miscommunication and an act of love at the last minute, we had lunch with the same friends. These are the place settings.

This is what I dream of in my own home... the perfect place setting.

I mean seriously, can you even believe it?

Meanwhile, our friends entire house looks like Versailles. Incredibly beautiful. And lunch was to die for. On our last visit they tried to kill me with lunch. This time I was prepared. Lunch on a weekend or special occasion in France is a LONG affair. Entree, main, salad, cheese, dessert, and then a little something with coffee or digestif.

This was just one of the little cakes we could choose.

The amazing thing? It wasn't sickly sweet. Wonderful.

On our last night in Paris, we went into the city for dinner, to a place in the Marais, called JaJa. They only use seasonal produce and the menu was small and divine. This is the entree we had to have.

Foie Gras with roasted macadamias and grapefruit foam.

Mr Frog and I both had rabbit for our main, but had to swap plates early on, due to the fact that Mr Frog couldn't get the meat off his portion of rabbit, whereas I had the breast. (Just proves the philosophy of the restaurant... they use the entire rabbit.) The wine warranted a photo of it's own. Mr Frog adored it!

Another please!

 And so, this concludes your visual food journey. If you got this far, thanks for sticking around!

Bon appetit!


M.C

Merry and Bright

One week of school left.

One week until we fly to France.

One last bunch of Christmas gifts to wrap.

Remember these little babies?

 I made a heap of chocolates at the time, knowing full well Mr Frog would change his mind about not giving gifts to the teachers in his office at the last minute.

As it turns out, the teachers in Mr Frogs office, teach Japanese. So, having also studied Japanese at school (for six years!) I was a little inspired.

Today we practice the Japanese art of Furoshiki.

First, pop your choccies in a little plastic bag and seal.

 Next, cut a rough square out of your chosen fabric. Mine are about 15x15cm, but it'll depend on the size of your pressie. Place the packet on top of the wrong side of fabric. I put it at the opposite angle so I didn't need to use too much fabric, and so it would look a bit neater.

 Take two opposite corners and tie a knot.

 Then take the remaining corners and tie another knot. If you have enough fabric, tie another knot to secure. I was being frugal.
 

 Voila! Or should I say dozo.

  I had exactly four plain chocolates left, so I made this up, just because.
 A bit of Kikki K twine, some Washi Tape (did you know it's Japanese?) from Kaisercraft, and that is a very cute little parcel.

That's it from me for the year. I mean it this time.

I hope the holiday period is just fabulous,

Merry and Bright,

and keeping praying my Christmas is WHITE!

MC

An Itty Bitty Xmas Gift

Last year, I nearly gave myself an ulcer making fabulous gifts for the fabulous women in my mothers group. It was ridiculous, and just another example of how I often expect too much from myself.

Do you do this? I'd like to think it was a mum thing, something I could be at least a little smug about, but it turns out that motherhood has just put a great big magnifying glass over the habits, traits and "issues" that were already there.

Anyhoo. This time I was good. This time, I made an effort without breaking a sweat, and talked myself down from going over board.

You might say my mothers group were ripped off this year.

All they got this year, was this itty bitty box of homemade chocolates.

And when I say homemade, what I mean is, I poured some melted chocolate into a mould and put things like almonds and crushed mint lollies in them.

You don't have to make the chocolates either. Buy some wrapped ones and pop thoses into a little box. Or tailor it to the recipient. Do they love Skittles? Fill it with Skittles. Make a bunch and keep them hany for those times you realise it would be nice to give Rhonda from work who you only see in the tea room, a little something for xmas.

1. Fill a little box with chocolates or lollies, homemade or otherwise.

2. Tear strips of fabric (for that rustic look) or cut lengths of ribbon, so they're  not quite as wide as your box. Oh, and it doesn't have to be "xmassy". Trust me. It's quite freeing.

3. Tie a bow. To get it looking perfect it takes a bit of faffing. I always do a test run first, then cut my lengths (or tear) to match. To get an even length, you need to start with one side longer than the other. Or simply trim and be done with it!

4. Repeat.

Voila! Cute little pressies people will be happy to receive, and you'll be even happier (and ulcer free) to give.

We're off to France for Xmas (please pray for snow!), so if I don't see you before we leave,

Shop Local, Buy Handmade, and remember, Happiness is a New Handbag.

Joyeux Noel!

MC

Pressed Metal, The Not Quite Tutorial

Remember these box/shelf thingy's?

My Wedding Expo display

I thought they looked great at the wedding expo. Black and white, bold, simple. Mr Frog/Mr I-Always-Have-A -Bloody-Opinion thought they looked too modern. "Your style is "Vintage"" he said.
Damn.
He's right.
Although it did look great, something a little more vintage would look even better.
But what? For awhile, I was thinking black and white damask scrapbooking paper. Easy Peasy.
But then I remembered something I saw on Bloody Pinterest.
Pressed Metal.
I adore pressed metal. I dream of having a Silver Pressed Metal splash back in my kitchen.
I didn't actually go to the original source. It seemed pretty simple. And it was.

Simple, yet I think, incredibly effective.

First, cut your cardboard to size. I used a random piece of cardboard and stole the giant box of un-opened Cornflakes. (Remember, Already had = Free)

Then I marked out my pattern. You know me, I kept it simple. This is a little less fancy than I imagine in my dream kitchen.

I then went to town with the hot glue. If you're doing this with kids, you could probably use P.V.A glue, it'll just take longer to dry. So scratch that, and just let the kids design while you take command of the glue gun. (There's gotta be some perks to being the grown up).
Be careful not to make the glue to high/thick. It'll tear the foil.

Next, lay the foil shiny side down and put your cardboard glue side down. Fold over the edge of the foil, carefully, and tape down.

 Flip it over and gently rub your hands over the foil.

 Then go over again with more attention to detail.

 Now remember when I said gently and try not to make the glue too thick...? This is why. The foil won't like it. And neither will you.

 Nevermind. Pretend it didn't happen and continue with the next two pieces.

 It's about this time I heard a little voice in my head saying " It doesn't look as good as you thought huh?".
Doubting bitch. I Ignored her and carried on.

It looked promising. I had such high hopes.

Hmm. Not quite how I imagined. I stared for a bit. Maybe it'll look better with a bag in there?

 Maybe up close?

Hmmmm.
Maybe with the black bags instead. Yes, that's it.

 I couldn't work out why it didn't look like I thought it would. The first piece I did was awesome. I even posted it on Facebook. (So it must be true).
Then Mr Frog chimed in.
In his "I'm trying not to sound like the critical pain in the arse you think I am" voice, he said "Do you like it babe?". I paused for a second too long and he continued with "It just looks like foil".

GAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

He is a critical pain in the arse, but when he's right, he's right.

Now it just looks like a conspiracy theorist has gotten a little fancy with the foil on the windows.

Sometimes, things don't work out the way you think/hope/wildly assume they will. And part of the "fun" of being a crafty minx is working out how to fix things when they don't quite work out fail completely.

I went back to plan B. well, plan A really.
And I got to go to Kaisercraft. So, that's a win.

 A black damask acetate (After Five Collection,  Champagne), on white paper.

Simple, black and white, bold, Vintage.

And I didn't swear once.

What have you stuffed up and then fixed lately?

MC

My Ladies and Friday Nights

A while ago, I started a page here to show off my own collection of much loved handbags.

Crappest pic ever.

I posted once, and couldn't work out how to do it the way I wanted, so I didn't do it again.

I'm now showcasing my Ladies and (I hope) providing a little inspiration for a Friday night out on the Madame Clochette Facebook page. (Just type Madame Clochette into the FB search bar and you'll find me easy). The aim is to pick out an outfit as if I was going out ( if only) and team it with a bag I own, and one or two from the Madame Clochette range available on Etsy.

I felt the need for Colour today...

I've blathered on a bit on Facebook about gorgeous ladies pairing their giant handbags they use all week with fabulous outfits over the weekend. It just hurts me to see this happening. It's just so unnecessary. As you'll see from the coming weeks, most of my own collection cost very little. You don't need to spend a lot to look fab, and more importantly, you don't need to stick with the safe black clutch. Although, you will need to at least own one.

I hope to have you dusting off your own collection and maybe even trying something a little different. And hey, maybe you'll even buy a Madame Clochette Cocktail bag. They're one of a kind, just like you. Perhaps you'll just downsize your current monstrosity and stop killing me.

It's a win no matter what.

MC

Oh, and apologies for the not so great photo's  coming your way. I'll aim to actually model the outfits and bags, but nap time is all too fleeting most days!

A Pretty Bathroom, Eventually.

The bathroom has become the first finished room of the house.

All we needed was something for a funny spot on the wall, in between the shower and the doorway. I contemplated going the French "Le Bain" (or la, I never know!) route, but it just didn't really fit with how the room had already evolved (without a fight). We'd gone the textured, natural look and it was soothing and clean, and pretty, without being "girly". I'd already made this Tissue box cover so it was only natural to continue in that vain. Another trip to Kaisercraft where I spent my $20 loyalty gift card on random scrap pads and some very specific papers. The Basecoat range was perfect for my project. It features great colours and texture up the wazoo. Once I'd chosen my papers and bought my canvas, I was ready to go.

I started by mixing some white paint with PVA glue and painted the edges of my canvas. I don't really know what I was hoping to achieve by doing this, maybe a bit of texture, or the opposite? Anyhoo, it didn't make too much difference, so we were all good. Then it was a case of working out how exactly I wanted to use my papers.
 I was really expanding on what I did in Tadpole's room, but I didn't think squares were going to cut it, plus my canvas was 51x51cm, too tricky to do even squares. I considered some kooky patterns, but in the end, I went with my usual style; Simple. Stripes it was. After a few practice line ups I was ready to get gluing.

Never glue things in a hurry.

 You end up making a mistake (gluing whole sheets down instead of cutting one) and having to pull it all off while it's still kinda wet. You end up with a lumpy mess on your canvas that needs to be sanded back. Of course you'll have to wait days to do this because you have a Tadpole.

Anyhoo. We start again, and this time, even though I was pretty fast at it ( but in a fun I can't wait to finish this kinda way) I did a pretty good job.

But something was missing. It kinda faded into the wall a bit.

It needed something more. So, I painted the edge of the canvas (again) with brown paint, carefully matching the browns already in the papers. The PVA from my first attempt actually made the texture of the canvas stand out more, and considering this thing was all about texture, I rolled with it.

 Now see that bit on the far left? That's what happens when you stop paying attention and cut the paper the wrong size. I still need to go back and glue it down better, but you can't tell once it's on the wall.

See how the bottom is curved? That's what happens when you buy your canvas from Dollar King. Whatever. Mr Frog turned it up the other way and you can't tell.

This little section of the bathroom was the inspiration for the canvas.

The finished bathroom, before Mt Frog flipped the canvas, and complete with his P.j's hanging on the door. He's not impressed that I left them there to take the photo.

Pffft. I'm keeping it real.

This post wasn't sponsored by Kaisercraft. But Kaisercraft.... Call me.

MC

The Cupboard of Creation

I've been organising my craft cupboard. For months.

It's not because I'm lazy, although, I can be. It's not because it's a craft cupboard and not a craft studio-entirely-separate-from-the-house and totally fabulous. Although, that would help.

It's because of this.



I'm a mother now. Which means things that used to take no time at all unless I got distracted by "inspiration", now take forever. And you can forget about pouncing on inspiration when it strikes you. I'm more likely to be pouncing on a toddler desperate to get into the cupboard and her hands on all-of-the-things.

But I digress.

I have long had my idol/girlfriend Rebecca's $75 craft room and craft hutch as inspiration. Nothing would make me happier than turning some old stuff into beautiful storage for the things that help me make beautiful things out of some old stuff. (And the cocktail bags, book covers, cards and whatever random craft takes my fancy).
And of course, there's bloody Pinterest. Full of gorgeous craft rooms and studios and things that I don't have! I have a board dedicated to the art of craft storage. I've spent way too long drooling over other peoples organisation. And crafts, and supplies, and money, and time.

But I digress.

In our last house, I had a craft shelf. So, things are looking up.

Here are a couple of horrible before pictures of my cupboard, which is unfortunately in the baby's room.

 One of those containers doesn't even fit properly. Who knows where anything is!

What if there's a glitter emergency?

The box labelled "Pram" contains jars. And then there are more jars to the right. It's my latest thing.

 O.k. So it was a mess. The problem with all the bits and pieces is that there are lots of different bits and pieces. There are lot's of great ways to store things, but those solutions mostly only apply if you have an entire room. Luckily, I love a creative challenge, and finding ways to do things a) on the cheap and b) as pretty as possible are right up my alley.

So, here are the after pictures.

O.k, so it's not what I'd call pretty per se...

Pretty good yeah? Well, at the very least, everything has a home and it's mostly labelled so I don't have to remember where I put things.

I'd like to thank Pinterest for the IKEA bag holder as wrap holder idea.

I bought the drawers from Kmart. They were the cheapest at $15 for a set of three drawers. Brilliant! They're holding scrapbooking paper pads, stamping stuff, textas,pencils and paints, card making supplies, stickers and rub-ons, and scrap material. Above them is my box of Madame Clochette Cocktail bags waiting for a new home. (In my dream house there is a lovely shelf for them to be displayed on. There's also an outdoor spa.) On top of that are my box of ribbons, my "current projects" box and a mini chest of drawers I'm currently using for zippers and stuff.

 

The top shelf, now not a safety hazard. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The top shelf was a debacle. Now everything is all lined up nicely. On the far left we have my market stuff: props, shelving, point of sale, etc. Then the small clear box holds my Madame Clochette bridal bags, al in their own dust covers. Above that, I'm pretty sure it's more market stuff. I really need to finish labelling.Tucked in the side is the baby album I am still yet to start for Tadpole. Then the box of bangles and jewellery I use for my bags. The rest, I think you'll find, are all helpfully labelled.

This poor shelf was doing it's best before, but now the working conditions are so much better.

Top shelf is for tools, things I use often like glue and scissors. And a handly little stash of business cards. We then have my ancient sewing kit sitting on top of my ever growing collection of thread. The cute little drawers are holding random odds and ends like magnets and plain hair clips, more glue and tape, washi tape, and the ever important glitter.

I'm trying out this idea for fabric storage. I'm undecided.

Paper storage is my downfall. I really want to have it all separated and ordered, but I can't bring myself to by the only wide enough office trays I can find from Officeworks ($36 for six, technically not expensive, but...) Perhaps I'll cave though, because finding what you need in all of that is a pain! Beside the paper are more stamp pads ( bought for a steal at a market) and above are left over Bath Milk bottles from last xmas.
To the left of the shelves there's a box for all my project supplies... like MDF things, mini canvas etc. I can't remember what's in the bag on top. What did I say about labelling...?

So, there you have it. The organised, if not very pretty Cupboard of Creation.

Here's to the next project. Coming soon.

Any thoughts on a better way to store my crap? I'm all ears!