Friday, February 08, 2013

Violets are blue, Roses are pink, Sugar is sweet

A Valentine Mantel By Candlelight


I'm glad you found your way to The Little White House.

Je suis ravie que vous ayez trouvé le chemin de ma Petite Maison.

Even if the house is undergoing a complete renovation which should ban any decorating for now, I decided to do something with the mantel.



I believe it's very important to remember that an "under-renovation-house" is still a home. 

Même si les rénovations de la maison n'encouragent pas vraiment à se lancer dans la déco, j'ai décidé de penser à autre chose qu'au placo en  m'occupant de mon manteau de cheminée. La météo catastrophique m'a forcé à prendre les photos à la lumière des bougies... Au moins, cela justifie le manque de lumière!

Unfortunately the weather is dreadful lately in Brittany and so taking the pictures by romantic candlelight was my only solution!

I didn't buy anything new for this decoration.



The roses are still my birthday roses... so they've been enchanting my home since January 23rd.



The teapot is an Arthur Wood teapot that I bought second-hand two years ago. I love its shape, especially the handle, and the violets on it. 



The sweets under the cloche were a gift my mother brought me back from Toulouse, where they are traditionally made... But I don't eat sweets, so I kept them for a February decor.


Rien n'a été acheté pour ce décor: le bouquet date de mon anniversaire, la théière est une théière Arthur Wood achetée d'occasion il y a deux ans. Les bonbons à la violette m'avaient été ramenés par Maman d'un séjour à Toulouse.

The master piece, according to me is that old book I found last week at an empty-your-attic-sale (French yard sale): it's dated from 1888... And it's the score of Gounod's Romeo & Juliet



I've spent so much time studying Romeo & Juliet and everything that was created on it since Shakespeare's play in my youth that I really wanted that book. The lady selling began to say "It's worth 70 €, you know." Disappointement must have been painted all over my face at that price, because she then resumes: "but I'll be happy if you give me 8 € for it". 



It has a nice, though worn-out, leather cover and golden edges. I'm in love!



La pièce maîtresse est cette partition complète du Roméo et Juliette de Gounod datée de 1888, trouvée dans un vide-grenier le week-end dernier. Cette histoire représente tellement de souvenirs d'étude, de travail avec les élèves, que j'étais tout émue quand je me suis retrouvée propriétaire de cet ouvrage!

Now if you want, you can listen to my favourite part of this opera in the video below.


Si vous vous sentez d'humeur musicale, vous trouverez ci-dessus mon extrait préféré de cet opéra.

I hope you enjoyed your time at The Little White House.

See you soon,



PS: The "Cottages in Brittany" series will resume later; meanwhile you can still read part 1 and part 2.


Partying there:

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home
Everything but the Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack
Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove
Beverley's Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound
Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors
Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
Making The World Cuter Monday on Making The World Cuter
It's a Cloche Party at A Stroll Thru Life
Transformed Tuesday at PJH Designs One of  A Kind
A Return To Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
Twirl and Take a Bow at House On The Way
Budget Decorating Party at Creative Cain Cabin


    PJH Designs


24 comments:

  1. J'aime beaucoup ton manteau de cheminee. Moi aussi j'ai toujours besoin d'un peu de decoration.

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  2. a beautiful mantel.. the romeo and juliet book is an amazing find!!
    x

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  3. You have a beautiful blog! And I just love looking at all your photos! I'll be back, I am now a follower! Hope you will visit me in my part of the world...

    Aloha

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  4. J'aime beaucoup ta teapot avec les violettes et tout le reste aussi. La partition de Roméo et Juliette est superbe et je comprends que tu n'aies pas résisté à son achat. Les brocantes ont toujours un côté un peu magique.
    Mary

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  5. Hi Magali,
    The roses are beautiful. Please share the secret of keeping it fresh and keeping them for long time. And how to make them bloom? sometimes they 'die' a little without opening much.

    Love the decoration. It's romantic and oh the antique book!

    Felicity

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    Replies
    1. I don't do anything special, I cut the stems and change the water every two day or so. Sometimes they last and sometimes they don't and it doesn't depend on how much I spent on them. But I'm known to keep my flowers a very long time... Maybe it's because I talk to them. You could try, it wouldn't hurt!

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  6. Oh what a beautiful vignette. I love everything and especially the cloche. So hope you will like it to the "Cloche" party on Tuesday. Hugs, Marty

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  7. All so very lovely and charming, Magali! That book was just meant for you :)

    Jeanette @ Creating A Life

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  8. Your post is very romantic with the birthday flowers (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!), the lovely Authur Wood teapot and the Romeo and Juliette book. I love the book, awesome find at the sale. Your blog is charming and I'm your newest follower. I'm so happy to meet you. I'm off to explore older post and your Cottages in Brittany series. I remember how charming they were on my two trips to your part of the world...............

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

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  9. Magali, I so enjoyed my visit to The Little White House. I think few people do so much to keep their under-renovation-house cozy!

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  10. Hi there! I came across your beautiful blog while visiting Pink Saturday! Your pictures are just lovely! And I love the old book :) Your Little White House is very charming and cheerful. I am your newsest follower and I look forward to visiting again.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Hugs,
    Stephanie
    theenchantingrose.blogspot.com

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  11. Your mantle vignette is charming and you found a real treasure with the Romeo and Juliette book.

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  12. How exciting to be doing a renovation, though I don't envy you living in the middle of construction. Thanks so much for your kind comment on my tulip and transferware post!

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  13. Thanks for the invite I loved the tea pot and of course the roses. Is it cool where you are keeping them? My house has been under renovations for 14 years [married to the carpenter] so I decorate anyway! Happy Valentine's in France.
    Peggy

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  14. Oh, so romantic. I love the roses! It all came together beautifully!

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  15. Very romantic and pretty. I've never seen roses last that long- simply amazing! Cute cloche! You are strong if you can resist the candy!

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  16. Love your wonderful vignette and so romantic. Your cloche is perfect. Thanks tons for joining the party. Hugs, marty

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  17. Very lovely. Don't eat sweets? I didn't until I went on a diet, now look out. Love the book and your mantle.

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  18. What a beautiful romantic mantel. I love the things under the clothe. Thanks for sharing at the Cabin.

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  19. Hi Magali!!!

    How can I say what I love the most. I can't so I'm going to tell you that your
    pink roses are gorgeous. I love the little tea pot!!

    But.......

    The Romeo and Juliette book is so great!!!!!!!

    When I was in high school the drama class was watching the movie and our English teacher thought that it would be beneficial for us to see it. We were only to see it once, but, you see I fell in love with it so much, that I would skip my other classes to watch it again and again and...I think you get the point. I saw it about 6 times in a couple of days.

    I tried to find the video, but, I couldn't find where it was. Thank you for bringing back some beautiful memories!!

    Pam
    xox

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  20. Oh I love the book! You are so lucky to have found it! Thank you for sharing at Transformed Tuesday. Hugs, Peggy

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  21. bonjour Magali ( Hi Magali )
    merci beaucoup pour ton gentil commentaire ( many thanks for your nice comment)
    peut-être a demain soir sur ma e-brocante
    bonne soirée
    amicalement
    domie ( brocante/villa saint ange)
    ton blog est vraiment ravissant

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  22. Your generosity knows no limits, always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. Your genuine enthusiasm for life is contagious, reminding others to embrace every moment. Your impeccable sense of style reflects your unique personality, making you stand out with grace. PVC Tarpaulin

    ReplyDelete

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