babarsh: Oktober 2011

~ This week on Ooh La Frou Frou ~
we find ourselves in the chic
black-and-white-marbled lobby of
The Mark Hotel.

You may remember from previous posts
that blonde and ponytailed

illustrated Ooh La Frou Frou girl Sunny has a
fantasy city apartment at The Mark.

As we peek in on Sunny at The Mark
on a beautiful autumn Monday afternoon,
the lobby and the fashionable
restaurant and bar are, as always,
bustling with activity.

Sunny's neighborhood at The Mark is at
77th Street and Madison Avenue in New York.
To virtually put yourselves
on Sunny's street,
simply click on the items listed to the right of this map
and each item's location will show up on the map itself.
Sunny is lucky to live in a Hotel
which houses the fabulous Frederic Fekkai Salon,
available at her beck and call
for those last-minute dates!
(illustration below courtesy of The Mark Hotel)

We shared the video
"Life at The Mark"
in a previous Sunny post ...
but it's fun, so if you missed it,
you can go here to watch the hotel guests below
go to and fro ...

Psssst ...
~ Here's another little juicy tidbit ~
Did you know that hotel guests that
book a one-bedroom suite
receive a complimentary car and driver
for each day of their stay,
to take them anywhere they wish in Manhattan,
for up to 6 hours?
Ooh la la la la. La la.

You may be wondering what the title of this post
"Grand Flirt"
has to do with Sunny at The Mark.
Well, grab your coffee, darlings,
we're about to begin our story ...

A Grand Flirt
is more than an adorable
~ flirty skirt ~

And you won't find
~ clues ~
in fabulous
~ flirty shoes ~

Although it seems that
~ everywhere ~
the world is filled with
~ flirty hair ~
... you still won't find the answer there ...

All of you darlings
~ more than likely have been ~
the recipient of a Grand Flirt
~ now and then ~

A Grand Flirt
is no lightweight
~ bat of the eye ~
or charming smile
~ from a passerby ~

It starts with
~ The Stare ~

But it doesn't end
~ there ~

It smoulders with interest
with a look from afar ...
and demands with persistence
to know who you are.

If this has happened to you,
you have experienced a
Grand Flirt,
darlings.

Our adventure begins in the early afternoon

of an autumn Monday,
as Sunny leaves the lobby of the hotel
from her apartment.
Dressed in grey with a gorgeous plum cape,
her ponytail sleek and swishing along,
she has the distinct feeling that
someone is watching her.
And as she glances across the crowded lobby,
she sees him and he holds her eyes in a
~ Grand Flirt.~
He's standing by the elevator with a group of others ...

... briefcase in hand.
He is one of the most handsome men
Sunny has ever seen.

On Wednesday ...
as Sunny is arriving back to the hotel in the
late afternoon, thinking of kicking off her heels
as soon as she hits her apartment door,
she hears the laughter and mumble of
people in the bar enjoying a late lunch or business meeting.
As she glances up, he is sitting amidst
a table of people.
His eyes are magnetic.
Their glance holds for what seems like forever.
Her pace slows down but she recovers
and continues on.
~ Grand Flirt. ~

On Friday ...
Sunny is leaving the hotel with
illustrated girlfriends Violet and Cherie
for an evening of dinner and shopping.
As she and Cherie wait for Violet as she chats with
concierge in the lobby,
Sunny glances up outside
just as a limo is pulling away.
The window rolls down.
He holds her gaze with a slow smile.
Then he is gone.
~ Grand Flirt. ~

Sunny isn't sure if her heart is racing or
slowing to a halt but something has happened.

Late that night,
with heels clicking along the marble lobby,
Sunny arrives back at the hotel
after a very fun evening with the girls.
"Oh, Sunny ..."
the concierge calls out to her.

"A gentleman left this for you ..."

Sunny could hardly sleep.
She didn't know him at all.
A private yacht?
She envisioned herself getting ready for the date
as she tossed and turned ...

If she went, what would she wear?
How about her make-up, her shoes, her hair?

She envisioned being alone with him

with nothing but water and the moon around ...

with the glittering city as the backdrop ...

... watching other boats float by ...

~ in the distance ~
After all, what he had said was true ...

"You don't know me"

As Sunny tosses and turns
and decides whether to accompany
someone that she really doesn't know
on his private yacht ...
she asks your opinion, darlings.

What should Sunny do?
What would you do
when faced with a devastatingly tempting
~ Grand Flirt? ~

Next week,
illustrated Ooh La Frou Frou girl Hope
will reveal
your votes on what Sunny should do ...
and Hope will also let you in on
a few things that are in her shopping bags right now.

Stay tuned .....
~ and have a very flirty week! ~

This blog is written
by the artist and creator of Ooh La Frou Frou:
All content is protected by copyright.
All rights reserved.
(c) Sandra Shelton Markwalder 2011

The illustration of Sunny above
is the work of artist Sandra Shelton Markwalder.
(Sandy M)
Love Note on The Mark "stationery"
created by Ooh La Frou Frou

The small illustrations of the
Frederic Fakaii Salon at The Mark and
people with shopping bags are via The Mark Hotel.

Photo Sources:
1. The Mark Lobby and Coffee Cup
2. Mark Restaurant/Bar
3. Girl with Flirty Skirt in Park
4. Flirty Shoes
5. Flirty Hair
6. Three Men with The Stare: Men A B C
7. Three Women with The Stare: Women A B C
8. The Mark Elevator
9. Chanel #5
10. Girl with Pink Lips (edited by Ooh La Frou Frou)
11. Girl in Front of Mirror
12. Champagne Toast
13. Brooklyn Bridge View
14. Boat on Water NY
15. Elizabeth Taylor

You may purchase the
Ooh La Frou Frou Collection cards
here.

Africa...The Motherland.

We are travelers at heart and are inspired daily by many things at C.A. Camp & Sannino.

Behold Timbuktu:

A real place indeed, but also a fragrance that was "inspired by a journey to Mali in West Africa by perfumer Betrand Duchaufour. A study of contrasts in its exotic African roots and innate French sophistication." You can find Timbuktu at

C.A. Camp & Sannino; it's Carlin's favorite...

Timbuktu takes inspiration from the fragrance ritual Wusulan used by generations of Malian women to scent their hair and skin. Potent blends of flower roots, balms and spices are thought to bring love and sensuality into the lives of these heavenly scented women. This takes perfumery back to its roots as the word perfume translates literally as per fumum or through smoke, offering up combinations of scented balms and resins to the gods above. Timbuktu has piquant notes of green mango and creamy karo-karoundé flower to balance the pink pepper, cardamom, and vetiver. Cloaked in smoke from papyrus wood, incense and patchouli, this sensual and airy scent is beautifully ancient yet profoundly modern.

Easy travel to faraway places is made easier with good luggage. Only the best will do -- Libeco.