A Post by Belle ... Romance, Romance

Hello, Lovelies ... Belle here!
For everyone that's new to the blog,
I'm the Ooh La Frou Frou girl that's a
southern-girl-turned-city-girl.
So sit yourself down and let's chat a bit about

Romance.

I love everything about Romance, don't you?
When people say we shouldn't put so much stock in
Romantic Love,
as it sets us up for disappointment,
I say "well, why not, for goodness sake?"
That's like saying
"don't bother looking for that perfect career ...
you'll only be disappointed ... don't shoot for the stars."
I beg to differ.
Sometimes you just have to look harder to find it,
choose the one that thrills you and makes you feel alive,
and then keep it exciting once you find it
by looking at each day as if it's brand new.
And I say don't settle for anything less.

Open your heart's window and be ready to fly.

I'm setting out to find someone

that aspires to have a lifelong Romance ...
with me!

Needless to say, because I'm such a fan of Romance,

my favorite movies are romantic comedies.

(surprised, are you?)

I like nothing better than curling up
with a cup of cocoa on a chilly night with a charmer like this.


Bridget Jones Diaries

or heading out with a girlfriend to see something like this ...

or watching any of these again ... for starters!

And as for real Romance,
I wouldn't want to miss one little part of it.

From the moment you share that long glance
across a crowded room ...

to the simply electrified magic in the air
when you find yourself days later
still thinking about him.

A new Romance is deliciously fun.
And its made even more magical because
you never know where you'll meet that someone.

Maybe you just set out to take an innocent walk
on a beautiful day ... and so does he ...
kismet!
(that's why I say be ready for destiny at all times)


... or maybe you meet the love of your life
when you share a taxi to the other side of the city
and the handsome stranger you rode with
hands you his number as you start to get out.

However you meet, one day there will be a first date with him.
And what is more exciting than preparing for a
romantic evening out!
It's the ritual we women just love.
A perfumed bath,
silky lingeree,
picking out just the right sparkly dress
and which shade of lipstick to wear ...
I even love the butterflies I get
 at the thought of an evening with him ...

A darling blog we love, called Paris in Pink,
often features perfume commercials
among many other fun things.
I thought this one that she shared recently
fit in perfectly with our little talk of Romance ...
thank you for showing us a Parisian commercial, Paris in Pink!



What kind of man am I looking for, you ask?
Well, let me tell you.

I want a man that makes me tingle to my toes ...


I want a man who believes playing doesn't stop with childhood
and knows how to make me laugh ...

I want a man who is a romantic himself,
one that leaves me little surprises when I least expect them...

I want a man with integrity, who will be there for me
even when the days aren't sunny.


Come to think of it ...
I wonder if the gorgeous Old Spice guy,
Isaiah Mustafa,
is available?

What do YOU love about
Romance?

All illustrations are by Sandy, artist - Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.
Credits:
Magazine Photo 1: Emma Watson, Vogue Italia Sept-Oct 2008
Magazine Photo 2: Red Magazine, Octoaber 2010 Chiffon Dress Vivienne Westwood Gold Label
Photo 3 of Taxi: Personal Photo of taken by artist, Ooh La Frou Frou
Photo 4: Sex and the City
Magazine Photo 5: Gossip Girl's Taylor Momsen - Teen Vogue Sept 2009
Image No. 6: Tiffany and Company
Magazine Photo 6:Unknown - if anyone knows, I'll gladly post the credit for the image.
Image No. 7: Artwork of Belle on horse with Isaiah Mustafa by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou collection.
Background image of Mustafa and horse on beach is a still taken from the Old Spice commercial video.

 

A Post by Hope ... I Love Being a Girly-Girl

The other seven Ooh La Frou Frou girls are jealous.

When I told them the title of my post,
you should have heard the fun conversation we had
over coffee one morning this week.
Of course, each of us feels
that SHE is the most girly-girl of all.
Truth is, we ALL are.
I told them they could do their own
Girly-Girl post sometime ... I wouldn't mind.
After all, we're all girly in different ways.

My definition of a
Girly-Girl:
A woman who not only enjoys being a girl,
but embraces it and celebrates it.

I'm going to start my post with a toast
(a virtual one!)
to all of the Girly-Girl Glamorous Followers of our blog!
One of our darling Followers
shared a beautiful bottle of champagne with
Ooh La Frou Frou this week on Twitter.
(Not really, of course, just the picture of the gorgeous bottle ...
Twitter's good, but not THAT good yet!)
I thought I'd share this pretty bottle with you,
as I don't think I've seen a prettier one!
Here's to you, Lily, (you are a true Girly-Girl, indeed)
and to all of our wonderful Girly-Girl Glamorous Followers!

Duval Leroy Rose Champagne

I couldn't possibly talk about
ALL things Girly-Girl in one post,
but I'll share with you a bit of girly fantasy and romance
and three ways in which I celebrate
being a woman.

What Girly-Girl doesn't love a special occasion?
Actually, each moment of our lives is an occasion,
a moment that won't be here ever again,
so why not celebrate even those little moments as Occasions?

It takes some intention to create an Occasion.
They usually don't happen on the spur of the moment.
One way I celebrate my femininity
is by surrounding myself with beauty.
And this, in turn, makes simple, everyday things become Occasions.
For instance:
Instead of picking up juice from the grocery store,
I squeeze fresh juice the night before.
I've purchased a very special
Waterford Crystal Amethyst Champagne Flute ...
just one flute ... just for me.
A whole set would have been very expensive.
But just one ... makes my morning juice an Occasion.

I also purchased one place setting of china especially for my breakfast ~
my only criteria was that it would make me happy each morning.
There's something freeing when you don't have to make the
weighty decision of a service for 12.

As soon as I saw this dinnerware,
I knew I'd found the perfect "present" for my inner Girlie-Girl.
It's the Belle Boulevard Collection by Kate Spade.

Illustration of oranges by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.
(c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

If you're like me,
when you start thinking of making life's little moments more special,
you'll find yourself "planning" Occasions for yourself.

How many things in your day
could you make an Occasion?

I celebrate being a girl
by buying only what I absolutely love
and never buy something that doesn't feel wonderful on my body.
I believe in dressing well even when you think no one will see you.
That's precisely the time they will.

I love fashion.  And not in the practical way.
Sometimes I just melt when I watch the
haute couture fashion shows.
The Girly-Girl in me wonders what it must be like
to walk as a model walks, past flashing cameras,
hearing the swish of layers upon layers of tulle.

Some of you may remember this runway show earlier this year:
John Galliano's Dior 2010-11 Paris Fashion Week Runway Show
that featured dresses and gowns resembling beautiful flowers,
where the models even wore cellophane on their heads
as a whimsical nod to bouquets.
I asked very nicely
if the Ooh La Frou Frou artist
would create an illustration of me
in one of the haute couture gowns
from that Paris fashion show.
Voila!
Directly beneath my illustration is the video of the actual runway show.
Even though many of you may have already seen it,
if you have a minute, you may enjoy
viewing the video to see if you can spot the actual dress that is illustrated on me!
(There is a quick 15-second advertisement in the beginning of the show)
If you don't have time to watch the entire show
(takes about 10 minutes but it's fun!)
you can forward ahead ... the long gowns
are toward the end of the show!

Illustration of Ooh La Frou Frou girl Hope in her fantasy walk down a Dior runway
at Musee Rodin during 2010-11 Paris Fashion Week.
Artwork by Ooh La Frou Frou's artist and creator, Sandy.  (c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

DIOR HAUTE COUTURE FW 2010/2011

I've started something fun & girly:
hanging pictures of beautiful couture items
that I've spotted in magazines and loved.
I place them in pretty matching mirrored frames
that hang side-by-side in my dressing room.
This breathtaking ostrich-feather clutch by Valentino Garavani
is the latest addition to my wall.

Valentino clutch is from Elle Magazine, November, 2010.
Collection at Bergdorf-Goodman NYC.

I'm simply not dressed without perfume.
Deciding which perfume is really you is another matter.
Recently, I shopped for perfume one afternoon with Alex.
Yep, that's me in the black and white dress and Alex in the pink.
I thought I'd try something new, but haven't found one yet that I love more
than my signature scent.
These things I know about choosing perfume:
1. Never make quick decisions without wearing the perfume for a day.
It's different on everyone and changes throughout the day.
2. What someone else loves or what the designers have that's new
doesn't really matter ... it's all about you.

Illustration of  Ooh La Frou Frou girls Hope and Alex perfume shopping
by Sandy - artist and creator of the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.
(c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

Perfume isn't about your head.  It's about your heart.
There is nothing else that stays in your memory quite like scent.
It's a very romantic thing.
Perfume designers know that perfume pulls at a Girly-Girl's heart strings.
Thought you might enjoy a little Chanel No. 5 romantic mini-movie:

Your perfume can be such an important part of you,
you may wish to wear it close to your heart.

Maya Jewels "Crimes of Passion" Perfume Amulets

What is your favorite perfume?

Artwork of Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf, Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel and Twirl by Kate Spade
by Sandy, artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection.  (c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 ~ all rights reserved.

A Post by Aimee ... Sweet Paris Dreams

Bonjour Girlfriends ~ I'm Aimee!

It's a pleasure to finally meet all of you!

Those of you that have been following our blog

already know that there are eight girlfriends

that star in the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection card line.

Seven of the eight girls have already created

their first post to our new blog ...

and now I'm so happy that it's my turn!

`

I hope everyone enjoyed
Alex's fun post last week,
where she shared with you a little behind-the-scenes look
into the glam birthday bash she was planning for me!
She'll be filling you in on how the party turned out in her next post
(it was fab!)
By the way, thanks, everyone, for all of the
wonderful comments you've been leaving on the blog ...
you might not know it, but each time you leave a comment,
all EIGHT of the girls read them ...
we're just having so much fun!

Okay ... on to my first post!
I'll start by telling you a couple of things about me:

First,
I live in the city like the rest of the girls
(except Sunny, who's a California girl)
and love it -- I'm definitely a city girl

Second,
As much as I love New York City, (and I TRULY do),
I have fallen head over heels in love with Paris.
As soon as I stepped off the plane that first time,
I knew that a piece of my heart would stay there.
So, I try to bring bits and pieces of the Paris lifestyle
home to me here.

All of the other girls know how
I save my pennies to travel there as often as I can!
I recently bought a darling little Yorkie puppie
and I even named him Paree.

I don't know how to speak french,
but I'm having fun memorizing a phrase in french
every week.
 I thought it might be fun to
share a phrase with you in my Paris posts!
My phrase for this week,
along with a little scenario of how it might be used is:
Scenario:
I'm standing in a french patisserie,
in a new french dress
bought at a cute little french boutique,
looking particularly adorable that day,
when a handsome frenchman steps up behind me
and says:

"Tu es magnifique!"
Pronunciation:
 "tew eh mahnee-fee-kuh
Translation:
"You're very beautiful!"
(it never hurts to be prepared!)

Did you know, I actually dream about Paris?
I mean real, night-time dreams.

There are the dreams about French food ....
the elegant restaurants, the fabulous patisseries, the luscious breads,
the way each meal is an occasion ...

There are the dreams of the sights and sounds of Paris
that steal your heart like a thief ...

And of course, there are the fashion dreams.

No explanation needed!

There are so many lovely Parisian things I could talk about,
but I thought it might be fun to choose just
one thing at a time for my posts and

I thought maybe a sweet place to start

would be to share one of my favorite Patisseries.
What is a discussion about Paris
without mention of
Ladurée!


Illustration of Aimee and her yorkie, Paree, in front of Laduree in Paris by Sandy - Artist, Ooh la Frou Frou Collection and created specifically for Ooh la Frou Frou Collection blog.  (c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 - All rights reserved.

Ahhhh, Ladurée.

There are a several locations,
but the one that I've visited
sits like a jewel
on the most beautiful avenue in the world,
the avenue des Champs Elysées.
Every day, 45 pastry chefs and 40 cooks
create the beautiful dishes and pastries
that Ladurée is known for.
They serve breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and late supper to
approximately 3,000 people daily!

On the first floor, the "Eiffel Veranda"
and the outdoor terrace overlook the glamorous Champs Elysées avenue.

The fabulous new Ladurée bar is very popular after 7pm,

On the second floor, the five cozy dining rooms,
decorated in the ‘Second Empire’ refined style
by the French interior designer Jacques Garcia,
were dedicated to the 19th century Parisian muses :
“Paeva”, “Castiglione”, “Mathilde”
but also la Bibliothèque (the Library) and La Chocolaterie (the Chocolate Factory).

Ladurée is perhaps best known for
its famous Patisserie.

It seems that whenever someone hears the name
"Ladurée"
visions of macaroons dance before their eyes.
Ladurée has several flavors that are permanently available,
and each season, they create a new flavour.

I know each time I visit Paris,
 I SIMPLY MUST have these two things:
macaroons and croissants ... to start with, anyway.

Illustration of Laduree Macaroons by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection,
specifically for Ooh La Frou Frou Collection blog. (c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010 - All rights reserved.

Or maybe one of their fabulous pastries?

 

Also:
click here to see a sweet little novelty
created by Ladurée this past summer.
I adore this Ladurée interpretation
of this made-in-France cupcake!

I'll finish my first Paris post by mentioning

the fabulously beautiful pastel Ladurée box designs.

Like the Tiffany box,

they're immediately identifiable as a

box that holds a tiny treasure!

Happy dreams of Paris and have a wonderful week, girlfriends!

A Post by Alex ... A Fashionable Soiree

Hello Glamorous Girlfriends!
I'm Alex.


I'm the seventh of the eight Ooh La Frou Frou girls
to create their first post and I'm so excited!

All of the other Ooh La Frou Frou girls
 weren't surprised to learn that I'd be posting about
entertaining for my first post,
as it's a great love of mine!

And since I happen to be planning a little soiree right now,
I thought it would be fun to share my plans with you
and talk a little about the steps I go through
when I plan a party.

First, let me say a little something about
party central, otherwise known as my kitchen,
as it's the place where all of the behind-the-scenes
deliciousness begins.

If you haven't seen my kitchen yet,

let me tell you that it's lovely.
It has classic white marble counters and a
french pastry table I use as an island.
The jewel of my kitchen, however,
is my oval window that looks out over the city!

While I'm in my glamorous kitchen,
I like to feel glamorous even when I'm cooking,
and that means a collection of glamorous aprons to choose from.
Several of my favorite aprons came from

The Hip Hostess.

Here I am, wearing one of my favorites, the "Espresso Swirl!"
(and yes, I am licking the whipped cream off the beater!)
I love that The Hip Hostess even has beautiful matching magnets!

For as long as I can remember, I have kept a binder
with pictures that I've saved from magazines
to use as inspiration for party ideas.
This little book is always "Step 1" for me in soiree planning,
and I sit with a pad and pen
and make notes as I leaf through the pages.

I also love to leaf through fabulous entertaining books

for tabletop inspiration.
My latest purchase was
New York Parties - Private Views by Jamee Gregory

It has some great insider shots of beautiful parties.

After every party I give,

I make notes in this little pink journal about

who attended and what was served.

That way, I'm sure not too duplicate

the menu for the same guests at another time!

(Plus, it acts as a fun entertaining diary to look back through.)

I have a few of these matching journals filled already!

The party that I'm planning right now
is a birthday party for our Ooh La Frou Frou girl Aimee.
and the eight of us will be together
for an afternoon of shopping in the city
followed by a birthday dinner
at my place.

Not all of my parties are this splashy,
but I wanted this girlfriend party to be splashy galore.
We all have our favorite designers,

so I thought it might be fun
to call Aimee's birthday celebration

a "fashionable birthday soiree."
That was my kick-off point.
For the invitation, I chose pretty cream flat cards
with gold edges (elegant!).

My dining room is a little alcove
off of the living room of my city apartment.
I like to have this room treated like a jewel-box,
so I have the entrance to the alcove draped
to provide privacy and magical drama.

I designed a special tablecloth for our birthday dinner for eight!
The designers names were embroidered on my tablecloth
in a hodge-podge manner and I even had
swarovski crystals sewn on here and there for sparkle!
I'm getting the room set up now ...
take a look! 


"A Fashionable Birthday Soiree" illustration by Sandy - artist, Ooh La Frou Frou Collection
was created specifically for the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection blog.
(c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010, All Rights Reserved.

The picture that you see in the dining room

was placed there just for this event.
It's a photograph of a window from Ralph Lauren's breathtaking
Paris store and restaurant!
By clicking on the Ralph Lauren name above,
you can watch a video that takes you on a tour
of the Parisian store and restaurant.
If anyone is crazy for Paris, it is Aimee,
so this was the perfect "jewel"
to place in the dining room for that evening.

These are photos of a few items that will be ON that table
the night of the party:

The Operanova "Milano" dinnerware and
Multicolor Drinkware are from Horchow.

Sparkling candlelight will be provided by a few frosted jewel-toned votives
scattered on the tabletop.
For fun, I am slipping
beautiful jeweled bangles from Van Luxuria
around each of the napkins as a little hostess gift.

For the centerpiece, I'll choose flowers that are in the jewel tones of the
stemware, such as this gorgeous hand-tied bouquet by Suzanne Cummings Flowers:

When all of the girls walk into my apartment
after our busy afternoon of shopping,
I will hop into my kitchen and pour us a glass of bubbly
in jewel-tone champagne flutes.
I've had each flute etched with each girl's favorite designer's name
and she can take it home with her for
that glass of bubbly she may want later on while she's sitting in bubbles!

I've just begun planning the menu and only have two items chosen so far.
The first course: soup and the last course: dessert!
I found the soup recipe in Park Avenue Celebrations.
I thought it sounded delicious and easy to prepare.
Favorite recipes of a number of New York's top hostesses
have been assembled in this book
!

Here's the recipe for Silken Mushroom Soup I'll be preparing:

Makes 6-8 Servings

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
1 lb. white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
6 cups well-flavored chicken stock (preferrably homemade)
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan over low heat.
Add the onions and cook until softened,
but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Add mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes until softened,
then add chicken stock and bay leaves.
Raise heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
Simmer 20 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Remove bay leaves.

Puree soup in food processor or blender in several batches.

Return soup to saucepan and reheat just before serving.

Tip:
A trick to making your own chicken stock
is to simmer your chicken and vegetables
in chicken broth (packaged or homemade),
instead of water, for a double stock that will be doubly flavorful.

The dessert I've chosen is a classic.
Aimee loves chocolate
so what could be better than a tall, delicious chocolate cake?
Click here for the recipe I will be creating:
Martha Stewart Living's Moist Devil's Food Cake with Mrs. Milman's Frosting

I'll end my entertaining post by showing you what my birthday gift to Aimee will be!
What could be more fun and surprising for a "Fashionable Birthday Soiree"
than a Christian Louboutin Barbie?
Christian Louboutin has created a three collector's edition Barbies
that come complete with Christian Louboutin shoes! 

Each Barbie comes with a little pink Christian Louboutin "Diary"

entitled "My Year in Paris"
and features fun shots of Louboutin and his adventures in Paris with Barbie!

There is even an additional "accessory" package available!

The ultimate toy even for grown-up girls.
Happy party-planning everyone!

All of the illustrations on this blog

are by the artist and creator of the Ooh La Frou Frou Collection,

Sandra Markwalder.

(c) Ooh La Frou Frou 2010

All rights reserved.

Please do not copy artwork without written permission from the artist.