A Benefit for the Child Abuse Prevention Center: Part 3

Happy Tablescape Thursday! Finally, the last group of tablescapes from the annual Inspirations charity event hosted by the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region to benefit the Child Abuse Prevention Center. If you missed the previous tablescapes posted earlier for this event, you can click here for part I and here for part II.

Also, please click here for a post I shared about a flatware design concept I have been working on called Four Seasons Flatware. I would greatly appreciate your feedback about the pros and cons of this idea. This idea was inspired by my participation in Tablescape Thursday and my fellow tablescapers.

Thank you for visiting and enjoy the photos.

Table #7


By EastSac Florist.




Table #8

By Celebrations Party Rentals

Table #9

By Exotic Plants




Table #10


By L Wine Lounge & Resturant




Table #11


By Celebrations Party Rentals

I hope you enjoyed the final set of this wonderful and special tablescape fundraiser. Please don't forget to share your comments about my flatware concept idea.
Also, stop by Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday to view more unique and creative tablescapes.

Who Is Leïla Menchari

(Photo credits: Decraene Antoine-De Laubier Guillaume-Bertoux Quentin-Feith Jean-Louis et Eric-Maty Véronique-Tourenne Patrice)

Above image is Hermes Paris, France flagship store's Spring 2011 window display at 24 rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré . The store has been at this location since 1878. We all know the classic Hermes Scarf as a essential accessory to the wardrobes of stylish (and wealthy) women.

(Paris, France store)

Hermes also manufactures and sells many other luxury items including the famous Birkin Bag (remember the Sex in the City episode when Samantha lied to the lofty Hermes clerk in order to expedite herself on the waiting list for a Birkin?).

(photo of Leila Menchari)

However, many people may not be aware the Hermes is equally famous in Paris for its superlative seasonal window displays at the Maison Hermes store. Leila Menchari has been creating these fantasy scenes since 1977.

(Spring 2009)

Her attention to detail and use of exotic materials bring crowds of on lookers who come back year after year enjoy the art.

(winter 2008)

Menchari uses items like costly fabrics, feathers, fine china, candy wrappers, fur, petrified wood and antique ribbons just to name a few.

(Winter 2000)

Many of her choices such as incense, leather, gold and silks seemed to be derived from her Tunisian background.

(Winter 1998)

She was trained in her native Tunisia at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Tunis.

(Summer 1996)

After she graduated she continued her education in Paris at the l’école Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

(Winter 2010)

For more images of previous window displays by Menchari for Hermes, visit the Hermes facebook.

(Fall 2010)

A Benefit for the Child Abuse Prevention Center:Part One

This past Friday, a local Sacramento television station and the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region held their 6th annual Inspirations fundraiser to benefit the Child Abuse Prevention Center. The main dinner gala event was held in the evening. Prior to the gala, the public was invited to tour the table settings that had been created for the party. From 11:00 to 3:00 you could make a donation and take a leisurely look at the inspired tablescapes. Party planners, florists and party rental companies were well represented in the room. 15 tables were set and I will share my photos for 3 of the tables each week until all 15 are shown.

Table #1

This first artistic table setting was created by Accents By Sage, a local floral design shop.






Table # 2

Here, a dramatic tropical setting was created by East Sac Florist.

Table #3

Table number 3 is a refreshing Spanish-Mediterranean style setting created by Beth Sogaard Catering.

I hope you enjoyed the table settings as much as I did. Please come back next week for another 3 inspiring tablescapes from this event. Also, you can view more unique and creative tables at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

A Carolyne Roehm Inspired Find

This beautiful photo was shared by Carolyne Roehm on her Facebook. It is a sample of one of the many breath taking images we can expect to see in her upcoming book. When I saw this picture, I was immediately drawn to the vibrant colors against the crisp white back drop.

Then, I was browsing a local fabric store and I saw this choice from Schumacher. How could I not think of Carolyne Roehm's photo?

The similarities in beautiful color and scheme immediately stood out to me. How could I not buy it?

The proprietress of the store asked me what I planned to do with the 10 yards remanent. I told her I had no immediate plan and she laughed and told me I am a definite Fabricaholic.

I have since considered 2 upholstered chairs that I think would look fabulous in this fabric. However, each chair requires 6 yards each.Unfortunately, this particular pattern has been discontinued which has been a challenge trying to obtain more.

Unfortunately, this particular pattern has been discontinued which has been a challenge trying to obtain more.

Audi - Goodnight Commercial

Mont Saint Michel

(image from wikimedia commons)

Paris, Paris, Paris...that's all I can think of when I plan a trip to France. But, my virtual travels have taken me beyond the City of Lights to Mont St. Michel and the experience has put this new (to me) destination on my list for my next visit to France.

(image from citypictures.org)

I am sure many of you have already discovered this ancient oasis, since it is over a thousand years old, but for those of you unfamiliar with Mont St. Michel, let me share what I learned about this special place. Geographically, this mountain (a big rock) juts out and up from the tidal waters and is an island during high tide.

(image from David Pekmez)

Monks built an abbey on the rock to get closer to heaven. The original abbey has changed forms over the years. In 1421, a partial collapse of its underground crypt took down part of the church. It was rebuilt to endure, however, the structure was again altered when the atheistic government of the French Revolution used the abbey as a prison from 1793 to 1863. In this picture you can see the causeway that is built on a land bridge. This is currently being replaced by an elevated bridge so that waters can flow freely underneath. This bridge, along with a newly constructed hydraulic dam will help with reduction of deposited silt so that the island remains an island during high tide. Visitors will be able to bike, walk or take a shuttle across the bridge to visit Mont St. Michel.

(image from wikimedia commons)

During that time, original windows were destroyed and carvings of the saints on the columns were defaced. Despite these insults, the Abbey remains and Mont St. Michel is an outstanding example of a 15th Century fortification. This defense structure served Mont St. Michel well as it was the only area of Normandy the English were unable to conquer during the Hundred Years War.

(image from wikimedia commons)

No longer a Benedictine Abbey (the Benedict Monks left in 2001 after more than 1000 years!), nowadays Mont St. Michel is a major tourist destination. The island has several boutique shops, restaurants,outdoor markets and even 5 small hotels inside its walls. The last official census in 2006 indicated that 41 full time residents live on the rock.

(image from independentstoriesinc.com)

(image from Don Crawford)

(image from tripadvisor.com)

I know I will be drawn to Paris again, and when I am, I will take a few days to explore Mont St. Michel.

Versailles Takes On A New Role: Luxury Hotel

(From NPR's Morning Edition)

by ELEANOR BEARDSLEY

If you've ever dreamed of spending the night at the Palace of Versailles, you might get your chance. A building at France's cherished cultural landmark will soon be turned into a luxury hotel.

[Complete Story]