{Coloring pictures of Paris}

What a lovely weekend! We had a family dinner of rosemary pork chops

covered in a rosé shallot & corn cream sauce, with bacon & blueberry

aspargus. It was the perfect dinner with which to bid adieu to summer. 

Of course, unfortunately, the temperature outside will still resemble that

of summer, despite the "September" name. I spent a day this weekend

with my niece, coloring pictures of Paris and playing princess. It was

a princess weekend...

And soon, I have really lovely & fun news to share... 

{Blending elegant Dior with savage & wild nuances}

I've been diligently working on my next costume, creating layer

after layer. I've been particularly daring this time, choosing 

colors, patterns, and textures that are not normally found in 

burlesque costumes. It's been a joy to dive into glittered leopard

suede, periwinkle blue soft lace, and plush gold satin. My kitchen

table has become a sort of collage of champagne & orange threads,

crystal rhinestones, leopard accents, vintage gloves, and an array

of snaps and buttons. This costume pays homage to exotica of the 50s,

blending elegant Dior with savage & wild nuances. I'm exploring

what it means to be both ferociously captivating and endearing. 

In essence, this costume needs to evoke a certain allure.

{my favorite closets}

In great anticipation of the grandiose closet into which I'm about to move, 

I can't stop myself from browsing through numerous photos of closets. Closet

organization could be a daunting task, but once given ample space, it becomes

a romantic task instead. How can I make my closet feel less like a cave-like

storage space, and more like a bedroom? My favorite spaces are adorned with

small vases of seasonal flowers, lamps are placed in perfect places to light up the

space, and shoes are treated like pieces of decor places on sturdy shelves. How 

lovely is the bra arrangement? With my bras arranged like this, it will be 

difficult to decide which to wear! 

What are your favorite closets like? Do you have lovely ways to

organize your closet?

{a brisk photoshoot & market day}

The morning was filled with rushing around the house, applying

makeup and ironing vintage dresses for my early 1960s inspired

photoshoot. Most of the day was brisk. The photo shoot was swift;

a pop of the champagne into a coup, a snappy decision about hats,

rapid frames of catching the moment, & c'est fini! Next a lively jaunt

to the market to pick up some fresh red snapper, peaches, spinach &

wine...a few delectable staples to replenish the weeks groceries. Later,

errands and cleaning. It's been the opposite of a typical Sunday!

I had a quick jaunt through the market, quickly

{our most beloved treasures}

We are preparing for a big move, into a town home in our favorite part of town. 

This means it's time to pear down and to edit our belongings so that all that is left

to move are our most beloved treasures. It's quite a daunting task, leaving me 

covered in papers, memorabilia, scarves, old costumes, sheets, curtains, remnants

of college dorm life, and magazines. However it's refreshing to throw on a pair of 

cotton shorts, put my hair up in a pony tail, throw bags of gently used items into 

the back of the pickup truck, and take them to charity. However, my husband and

I are finding it difficult to refrain from buying champgne coups & trying on vintage

sunglasses along the way...

At the end of a long week of sorting, it's an absolute pleasure to pop open a

Shiner Ruby Redbird and read until the end of a satisfying summer book. 

I hope your weekend starts with a refreshing beverage & ends with a lovely

book! xo, Jolie

{after the show...}

Last night I went to Paris...well, not exactly but our Parisienne themed show

went marvelously! However I expended so much energy performing and having

fun, that today I'm a bit under the weather. I want nothing more than to relax

in the soft light of my living room windows, to indulge in some homemade 

sweets, to read beneath a summer quilt, and to dine on sweet and special 

china. However all of this is the exact opposite of what I need to accomplish

today. I have lines to learn, items to purge for charity, items to sort...

{Easy to find pleasure}

Despite my aversion to summer heat, I'm finding it easy to find pleasure in 

occasional dips in the pool, toes submerged in the trickle of a fountain. I

like to find a brief stretch of time during which I can doze off while reading

an adventurous book.  But my favorite hour, as the sun tucks slowly away

casting a blue light over everything, is spent walking the pups, reflecting over

the day's accomplishments, over work done marvelously. We walk languidly

back home, to return to the kitchen to finish cooking the evening's meal.

A meal out on the balcony, the smell of candles and water sprinklers on 

warm pavement, the taste of a summer ale and fresh fish. It's pure bliss.

Thank you, Roseline of This is Glamorous, for reminding me to relish in

the bits of summer before it slips through our fingers.

{To help Maisonette become part of a fabulous opportinity please click here:

www.bloggerswardrobe.com}

{Blogger's Wardrobe & the chance of a lifetime}

www.bloggerswardrobe.com

An arbiter of style and quality, Maisonette features beautiful, inspirational, and glamorous design. Because I can find the positive and romantic aspects to anything, Maisonette's following is varied and vast. 

Please follow the link to: www.bloggerswardrobe.com to view this amazing opportunity for Maisonette. 

{Lovely Clothing links: 1. White & Red Dress: Stop Staring 2. Red Necklace:  1960s Vintage 3. Leopard Corset: Corsets by Nina Savage 4. Champagne Gloves: 1950s vintage from Wear it Again Sam 5. Violet Brocade Bustle: Jolie Goodnight Burlesque. All photos are of Jolie Goodnight.} 

{Strip Strip Horray Indeed!}

Sitting with a glass of vihno verde watching the sun slink behind 

lit buildings, it's impossible not to reflect back on the weekend I

just had. It's one of those weekend filled with such fun and happiness

that rather than think of a continuous memory, I'm recalling snippets 

of time...Moments of Dita dancing at the party, her face covered by

the lace veil of the Maison Michel bunny ears.  Sweet recollections 

of conversations held in French with a stunning Russian woman for

need of a common adjective. Genuine connections with a new

friend in love with jazz and rhinestoned lapels...great laughter and

cheer shared of a glass of Perrier Jouet with women I admire

greatly. 

Essentially, I am grateful & happy.