Friday, May 17, 2013

The French Riviera/Cote d'Azur = Simply Irresistible + A Giveaway


opening this post, created especially for the link party
Anita @ Castles, Crowns & Cottages
is hosting, 
with Nicole Kidman attending The Cannes Film Festival this year
seemed perfectly correct.



Cannes Festival 2013

you see, we are taking you on a little holiday to this
very famous location.
telling you about some of our own adventures while there.




"Riviera Chic"
Grace Kelly epitomized "the look" in To Catch A Thief

When I got married almost 14 years ago my husband planned the entire honeymoon.
Paris-Cannes-Monte Carlo-Portofino

he added Portofino just for me, but HE loved all the other places,
and spent many summers there prior to our marriage...Cannes was nirvana to him.

today I'm concentrating on that area,
and on forthcoming days we will visit some of the other locales,
all linking back to Anita's place.

you see, I tend to go on & on & on about things I love, and ONE post
is just not enough to cover such a beautiful region.


Motor Yacht Mogambo

a regular sight one will see along the coastline,
this yacht is privately owned and is almost as long as an American football field

believe me, I was stunned when I sighted one even larger laying at anchor in front
of our hotel.  I just had to know who owned it!



The Carlton Hotel, the one with the 2 domes, has the most wonderful
boardwalk pier going quite a distance out over the water,
this is where everyone suns.  You find yourself a chaise and a waiter and
make new friends with the people around you.  Oh yes, lots of the girls are topless,
in fact most of the Europeans, but remember they are all young and they are all
linear...none of them look like Pam Anderson...and it doesn't offend at all.

French Riviera Dress

"riviera chic"



We met this lovely, darling, gorgeous couple from Denmark who pointed us
to one of their favorite restaurants in Cannes,
Gaston et Gastounette



you can walk there easily, the evenings are cool, and it's fun just people watching.
the restaurant is across from the Cannes Marina, and is usually packed with people
awaiting the famous "Fish Soup."   it's worth waiting for.
every single time we returned to this area we made it back to this place.
hustle, bustle, crowded, loud, great food.



the esplanaded street between the hotels, shops & the beach is called
La Croisette
& it is beautiful, always filled with flowers in hanging baskets, and
beautiful people.

in the photo center you can see the Carlton pier,
which is actually quite large.





above is an example of a villa for lease.
to me, this is the very best of all worlds.
the year after our honeymoon we rented a place for the month of July
& invited family & friends over.  we loved cooking at home, we had a splendid bar set up,
had bunches of wonderful music poolside, and a view of the sea.
each morning the housekeeper would bring fresh croissants.  this is something I will always cherish.
her name was Marguerite and her dog was named FiFi. 
I named our poodle FiFi after Marguerite's dog.

all of the villas available for rent come equipped with almost everything one needs,
except food & drink, of course.

we used the home as our base and from there we could drive around the
countryside on little day trips.  staying as long as we did enabled us to really
get to know the highways, directional signs.  we went back & forth to the Nice
airport collecting & returning visitors we knew it like the back of our hands.

Le Moulin de Mougins

a not-to-be-missed gourmet restaurant a bit above Cannes is
Le Moulin de Mougins
shown above
it is a very easy drive IF you do not get lost, as we did.
reservations are a must.


as I said, we loved staying at home for dinner sometimes,
and each couple or pair of relatives would be assigned a night to cook,
they chose the menus, they did the cooking,
we all chipped in for the food purchases.
everyone in our group loved fine French wines, so going out
searching for the right wine was a huge pleasure for most everyone.

believe it or not, most of us did not shop.
I worked at Sak's 5th Avenue then, so shopping wasn't necessary for me.
I took far too many clothes I discovered.
though I did try to wear them all
my girlfriends wanted French pottery, liqueurs, linens,
things like that.
I did purchase a wonderful slightly off-white fully sequined beret.
You know, I just had to have it.
never has it been worn, but it makes me smile to see it.
Cannes is not casual, it's elegant casual "Riviera Chic"


the honeymoon was to be the beginning of many travels.
more tales from the Cote d'Azur forthcoming.

 visit Castles, Crown & Cottages
please go HERE to see all the other participants


Cote d’Azur in the French Riviera - another beautiful area along the French Riviera between Nice and Monaco


GIVEAWAY



3-Strand "Shades of Pink" Acrylic Chain
perfect for the Cote d'Azur
retail value $ 90

gotta follow/gotta leave a comment





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Monday, May 13, 2013

France, Simply Irresistible + GIVEAWAY



Anita @ Castles, Crowns & Cottages
is hosting a blog party called
FRANCE, SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
beginning Friday.

Of course, Splenderosa will be attending.

Maybe featuring Cannes on the Riviera






for now,
some new merchandise which will arrive next week
in time for summer vacation travelling

TURQUOISE      $ 69
Size : 11' W X 13' H X 6.5' W
- Designer inspired fashion tote
- Perforated faux leather
- Removable nylon pouch with own strap
- Top magnetic closure



BEIGE      $ 69
Size : 11' W X 13' H X 6.5' W
- Designer inspired fashion tote
- Perforated faux leather
- Removable nylon pouch with own strap
- Top magnetic closure

DOVE GRAY    $ 72
special purchase so we can offer to you at a special price
I love the single strap over the shoulder.
Size: 15' X 12' X 5'
- Designer inspired hobo bag
- Laser cut Faux leather
- Top zipper closure
- Single shoulder strap






COFFEE, little bag for cocktail/evening     $ 45
Size: 7' X 7' X 3'
- Fashion evening bag
- Snake skin faux leather, both sides, makes a lovely presentation
- Kiss lock closure
- Chain strap included


to order email us

splenderosa@gmail.com

shipping $12 USA

we will send you a PayPal invoice for the total,
******************************************************************


+ our last GIVEAWAY WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
A lovely lady artist in Phoenix won the handbag, and she was delighted,
so I was as well.

now, I thought we would GIVEAWAY 1 of the little COFFEE COCKTAIL BAGS

gotta be a follower, gotta leave a comment

that's all!



our next GIVEAWAY will be jewelry
something really spectacular, really fashionable, really pretty.

**************************************************************

come back to see me for the
FRANCE, SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
post, as I take you to Cannes, St. Paul de Vince,
Antibes, Juan les Pins, & more.
as seen by me and my family during many summer travels.








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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Scatter My Ashes...



Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf-Goodman
the book
now a movie coming soon to a theater near you



for all of us who loved The September Issue
we have something new to love...


it will be in Houston in a few days, 
so the girlfriends are already planning a movie party night.






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Peaceful, Beautiful....


mountain cabin 
Mount. Ranier, Washington, USA


could you stay here for awhile?
or would the isolation drive you round the bend?
I mean, maybe it has heat somehow, no need for AC.
don't have a clue how one would cook, 
but I wouldn't be averse to shelf-stable foods
carried in a back-pack.

imagine what you would see,
animals, birds, fish, the sky, green grass,
mountain mists, Earth's ecology & abundance.

pretty cool, I think.




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Saturday, May 11, 2013

Perfection of a Floral Arrangement, UnArranged




love love love these



& this

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

The Country House Bedroom.....


everything is old.
absolutely everything, except for the bedding.
4x4 & 2x4 posts used for the bedstead, whitewashed, left simple
(sanded just enough to remove splinters).
the flooring is reclaimed from an old abandoned church nearby.

I love it.
& everyone said I was coo-coo to do this to the armoire.






ewa i walla - one-button jacket

 from Swedish designer, ewa i walla


doesn't this look yummy?



in our shop now
Fashion Necklaces




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Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Artworks


Philippe de Croy, Seigneur of Sempy (detail) 
by Rogier van der Weyden, 
1399- 1464.




crosses, in any form, have been cherished throughout the ages,
and now more than ever crosses have been important accessory pieces
in our wardrobe, like these below

PEARL CROSS DROP NECKLACE SET



our newest necklaces,
38" long
simulated pearls on chain with Maltese cross pendant embellished with crystals.

only 6 of each, gold or silver
$49

to pre-order please email us
splenderosa@mail.com

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His or Hers ?

don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind having this outfit myself,

although it's a "his" I think it would be better off as a "hers"

whatta you think?


KISEI
I think I would probably sit differently too.

just saying...
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Monday, May 6, 2013

"By Invitation Only" May 2013 Post, the last until September....

welcome to our monthly international blog party


International Blog Party

this month's theme was simply 

"Camelot"

which will give those participating a lot of latitude in interpretation, won't it?


Because of the belief that Arthur will return, he is sometimes called 
The Once and Future King 
and Camelot itself has come to not only be viewed as a place, 
but as a state of mind or a reflection of a lost ideal.



for me, I will always remember playing the sound track from the play
in our home, the total happiness in hearing the music sung by 
Richard Burton & Julie Andrews

It's May, It's May
The Merry Month of May


& the evocativeness of Camelot in the Kennedy administration.

The mythical Camelot's location was never known,
however, I believe the idea of Camelot can be anywhere.

So to me, Camelot is an ideal situation or place.

IDEAL
IDYLLIC

for me, Camelot was always being at home,
making the home as beautiful as I could,
enjoying parties with our friends,
our children having parties,
like most women, I suppose.

travelling all around the world, loving some of the places we visited enough to
want a 2nd home there, but never with the thought of leaving our home in Texas,
or leaving Texas for that matter.


ideal or idyllic mean many different things to each of us. 


the total perfection of the butterfly.


the writings of Vicki Archer






the beauty of a well-dressed man.



Amalfi Coast, Italy

or the love of a certain place
in this case, Positano, Italy



& while there will always be something for which we strive,
I've come to understand what "ideal" really means to me.

Security.
I think this must come first for me for how can anyone find the ideal in their life
if they are not secure, both in themselves and in their home.

Love of family & friends & dogs.

Smiling when I know my children are happy, 
because that makes me the happiest.

 Not being perfect.

Always learning.

Never to bore anyone.

Always be interested in everything. 

&, finally, understanding that nothing is forever really. 
the beautiful butterfly flies away, the flowers wilt.
that life is a process of renewal.

to be unafraid of renewal and change is, to me, "ideal."

the love of Camelot as an idea began when we were young...
what if?  absolutely, we can do this !
all will be set right!

  I will always love the idyllic place of "Camelot"
 & King Arthur is still my favorite character ever.
I always have a place for him at the table, 
& it always makes everyone laugh just like I wanted it to.

Camelot is right here in my own backyard.


my little girl who is expecting her first, a little boy,
shown here in the Texas hills with all the Texas wildflowers.


*****************************






*
"By Invitation Only" will be on hiatus June, July & August,
returning in September for our monthly posts.

to all of the ladies of our group, please know how much each of your contributions are valued.
I often think how much your friendship & support means to me,
even if you miss a post or two,
and many are missing today with family illness, work, life, all the normal stuff that
gets totally in the way of blogging.



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Dream Couple






each of them is an icon, they made it on their own  
no famous parents to open doors
they epitomize everything I admire in life,
a beautiful, successful couple with a family, out for an ordinary night
at the Met Costume Gala

truly extrodinary.
I know, I know, I'm gushing


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